YaBB FE

[Jedi~]

Before I even describe it, I claim it as my mod (actually, bigger than a mod, but still.) I'm going to make it, simple as that.

YaBB FE: YaBB Flash Edition.

My plan is to port YaBB to flash! Yes, I do realize that it would probably have a small audience due to the fact that you'd need Flash MX to do any changes mostly, and that a lot of features would be lost until I can figure them out, but does anyone think this would be a good idea?

[Chris Cromer]

And here I thought it stood for Yet another Bulletin Board First Edition...

[Iridium]

My first question is simple: Why?

It just seems to me that using Flash for something like YaBB is a bit of an inappropriate use of technology.

Flash is primarily used for making interactive sites. However, the interactivity with a standard YaBB board is limited to posting and viewing messages.

Although I can see that a Flash frontend for YaBB SE that has nice animations when changing boards and viewing posts would be pretty, and might have some attraction especially among those that are new to the BB concept. I think it would annoy existing users, in having to wait for a Flash App to download before they can view messages, and increasing the time required to change between boards and posts.

As you said in your own first post, it would lose a lot of features in the conversion until they could be figured out. It's this that I think is a very critical point. Board mods are supposed to add features in general (except the odd ones that take away unused/annoying features) Is it really worth making a mod that will likely take away a good number of often used features? If people have to switch back to the "SE" version to perform functions that they can't do in the "FE" version, there is going to be a tendancy not to go back to "FE" when they are done.

In conclusion, I think that IF you can pull it off, and make a really good Flash frontend, then go ahead, I'd like to see the result, however it is a big "if".

[PlonkerFish]

Just to tell you. If there is something I really hate, then it is a flash site. Sorry, i just had to get that off of my back . Good luck anyway!

[Jedi~]

Lol, Chris.

Good points, Iridium.
Why? You said it yourself, animations.
I've seen people rave over flash forums with no features at all, if I can even pull off a few with this one, it'd be a hit among flashers (of which I am.)

Plonker: Then don't use it

[PlonkerFish]

Heh, it isn't a problem with the fact whether or not i will use it. There are a couple of things i don't like about flash sites, which you might be able to 'watch' for.

1/. They take quite long to load.
2/. I get lost in them
3/. I get lost in them
4/. I get lost in them

When i see a flash website (meaning a full flash site eg. www.lionhead.co.uk) i say, wow thats cool. But when i try to go around it i get lost really easily, and it just takes too long to get around. .

If, for example, a website would only use flash images, i wouldn't mind at all

Hows YaPP getting along?

[Jedi~]

YaPP? The site is down, but a lot of progress is being made, BoardNation is using it for their homepage and I've been working on it for them, so progress is being made, just not visably to you guys.. yet. Should have the site back up today.

[Hypocrite]

I think that Flash site wouldn't be a good idea because a lot of users don't even have Flash yet so they can't even browse the site then. Also Flash sites take time to load and isn't the speed one main attraction of YaBB SE Also as Chris said you get lost in Flash, I remember one or two companies having to quit business because their sites just were too hard for a normal user to browse.

[Jedi~]

If you get lost in flash, it's just poor design on the designer's end. Flash load time only depends on what's in it, it wouldn't take that long at all for the things we're talking about. Now I'm unsure if I can do some things, might as well forget about it now

[Jeff Lewis]

A few things...

1) Why not just add Flash parts to SE then instead of making the whole thing in Flash?

2) For sites that users get lost in, they should hire new designers, Flash can look and feel like a "normal" site with proper design technique.

3) IMHO, a waste of time, so much more can be done. Kind of a pet peeve I have. Everyone wants to do their own thing, when if talents were pooled and dedicated so much could be done.

[Jedi~]

1) Thought of that already, may do that.

2) Like I said above

3) I always have to do my own thing

[DMiller]

I always have thought flash was cool, but have resisted doing a flash site due to download times.  I keep telling everyone that when the day comes that everbody has fast, affordable internet service - then look out!

Would be curious to see what your final result is though. Use of partial flash segments within YaBB FE might be interesting too.

[Silver Dragon]

Honestly, I don't like flash.  The technology *sounds* cool, but is rarely used for anything of value.  Having a YaBB FE would, in my opinion, just make it more closed, increase load times, and create many odditional headaches.  If you want to do it, then by all means make it go.  

Find me one site that uses flash well, and I'll show you a thousand that don't.  Then again, I'm *very* paticular about user interface.  That's part of the reason I don't like Windows, it has no style or design.  It just does not flow...

Ok, now I'm getting off topic and about to start an OS war.  Let's just leave it at, I don't like Flash, but there are many who do.

-D