UBB.threads

Infobox Software
name = UBB.threads



caption = A screenshot of UBB.threads at UBBCentral
developer = Groupee, Inc.
latest_release_version = 7.3.1
latest_release_date = June 23, 2008
(original release circa 1996)
latest_preview_version = 7.4b2
latest_preview_date = October 7, 2008
programming_language = PHP
operating_system =
platform = MySQL
status = Current
genre = Discussion forum
license = Proprietary
website = http://www.ubbcentral.com/ubbthreads/

UBB.threads (formerly WWWThreads) is an Internet forum software package written by Rick Baker. Written with PHP using a MySQL database backend, it is comparable to other forum software written in PHP.

WWWThreads was originally written in Perl starting in 1997, then a PHP version was made in 2000. WWWThreads was notable for being one of the first forum software packages to support both flat and threaded discussion. In 2001, WWWThreads was acquired by Infopop Corporation (now known as Groupee, Inc.), and was renamed UBB.threads. After WWWThreads' acquisition by Infopop, the Perl version of WWWThreads was discontinued. The last Perl version of WWWThreads was version 5.4.3. All subsequent versions of UBB.threads starting with version 5.5 were released in PHP only. UBB.threads 6.0 was released in the spring of 2002. The current version is 7.3.1, with 7.4 in private beta.

Version 7.x

While Groupee initially proposed a new forum software package designed to replace UBB.classic and UBB.threads, they wound up using several portions of the core of UBB.threads. While the name implies an upgrade to threads, the v7 branch is seen as more of a complete overhaul of the initial code base as well as heavy feature adaptations from UBB.classic.

While the v7 branch retains the UBB.Threads name, it is incompatible with prior versions due to the coding overhaul. Any "upgrades" to v7 are done as an import as if it were from any other 3rd party product. In addition to the importer for previous versions of UBB.threads, importers for UBB.classic v6.x and phpBB v2.x are also available, with an importer for vBulletin currently in the works.

Version 7.1

Version 7.1 was released on February 20, 2007. Primary new features included some features that were trimmed out from the transition from the UBB.classic and UBB.threads 6.x series to UBB.threads version 7.0. Some of these features included custom titles, user-selectable languages, and user-defined forum sorting options. Other major new features included online mood indicators on posts, auto-deletion of pointers to moved threads, and CAPTCHA user registration.

Version 7.2

Version 7.2 was released on July 16, 2007. The largest new feature in this version is the addition of an image gallery feature. Other significant new features included teaser forums and a spoiler BBCode tag, as well as some code cleanup.

Version 7.3

Version 7.3 was introduced on May 7, 2008. Version 7.3 introduces improved spider-friendly URLs, with the option to add a fake .html extension at the end of each page, as well as group-based permissions. Other new features include the ability to hide user post counts, an improved pagination routine, a custom BBCode editor, and a drop-down search box.

Version 7.4

Initially known as version 7.3.2, while version 7.4 is mostly bugfixes from previous versions, there are a few new features being introduced. Some new features being introduced include a search function for the user list, a mass permission copy page, unlimited custom islands, and two new portal islands (one that displays today's birthdays, and a "featured member" portal island that selects and displays a random user who is not banned) [http://www.ubbcentral.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/216395/1.html] . Version 7.4 is currently in public beta.

Version 7.5 and beyond

Initially, a blogging feature was planned for introduction of version 7.3, however, it was soon pushed back to version 7.4. However, with the renaming of version 7.3.2 to 7.4, it is currently planned for version 7.5 [http://www.ubbcentral.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/217445/6.html] . For the next major version after 7.5 (no version number currently announced), a complete redesign of the user interface is planned.

External links

* [http://www.ubbcentral.com/ UBBCentral] - Official site.
* [http://www.ubbdev.com UBBDev] - UBB.threads modifications
* [http://www.ubbcentral.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/forums/42/1/Release_Notes_Changelog.html UBB.threads Version Notes] - UBB.threads 6.x and 7.x version history