FedoraForum.org using vBulletin which is not released under GPL, why!?

Entity · #1 26th November 2004, 12:33 PM

My question is simple :

Why is this site not powered only by GPL software(s)?

hawley · #2 26th November 2004, 12:56 PM

because vBulletin kicks ass, and the site owners want the best forum software there is?

Jman · #3 26th November 2004, 10:57 PM

The only real good forum software I know of under the GPL is phpbb.

vBulletin does offer a very full featured and mature board, backed with support.

It does run on Fedora, and the technologies it uses (PHP, a variety of databases) are cross platform.

Here we generally promote technology that does the job well and is at least neutral to Linux. vBulletin on Apache on Fedora, yes. Something ASP on Microsoft IIS, no.

Most people here are not set on the GPL and do support software we like, especially when it does the job well.

Shadow Skill · #4 27th November 2004, 04:32 AM

Just because something is GPL or open source doesn't mean it's good, conversely just because something is closed source doesn't mean its bad. For example MS office(2003) is actually pretty good, where as openoffice is somewhat lacking [can't open passworded word documents renders it totally worthless.] technically and the interface is just bleh..Abiword is a far better cross platform tool [Familiarity (works exactly like msword.) and full word document support..] Office's scanner tool is often quite useful even if you dont happen to have drivers for your scanner hardware.

Entity · #5 27th November 2004, 07:40 PM

1) Forums, galleries, links, guidelines, FAQ, news (oh and ads!) ... nothing on this site couldn't of been well done using open source software.

2) As the Fedora Project being the focus of this site, I personally think it should adopt _as possible_ its values, objectives and philosophy. (http://fedora.redhat.com/about/objectives.html)

Jman · #6 28th November 2004, 12:40 AM

As far as I can tell Gallery is open source.

I will argue that vBulletin is more transparent and open in a way that propietary software never can. Microsoft is far more protective of their code, for example.

Thank you to ewdi for setting these forums up and keeping them running. That was where the origional choice of forum software came from.

As far as the Fedora project objectives go, most of us don't develop, we use this stuff. So we help others. The objective we work on is participation. We just care that things work. There are several examples of non open source questions we try to answer, like games, graphics card drivers, VMWare emulation, etc.

(On the OpenOffice issue password protection should be fixed soon into the 2.x releases.)

Shadow Skill · #7 28th November 2004, 03:09 AM

I hope this is true since its no good at all if your trying to be cross platform if it can't handle a passworded word document....It'll also help me get the windows machines away from at least some of the office products, I think I could get my dad to use it although I think its better if I introduce my parents to abiword since it functions the same way was word. [And I won't really have to actually learn the program hehehehe.] Does OO have tabs? I know Abiword is missing that...

crackers · #8 28th November 2004, 03:51 AM

Entity - you're only focussed on a very narrow part of the whole FOSS spectrum - the overall concern with this whole thing is not about "free" (pick your version) but about choice. You have a choice about which forum software to use, non-commercial or commercial. You have a choice of which distribution to install.

The ads come from an ad service - you're limited in how "narrow" you can select the ads. And if you don't like the ads, then talk to ewdi about forking over a largish sum of money to pay for the bandwidth this forum eats up.

Are you familiar with the phrase "TANSAAFL"? It's very true, even more so with open-source. There's some kind of "payment" for everything - you just may not see it.

Entity · #9 28th November 2004, 12:43 PM

I understand your opinions guys, I just had to express mine

crackers: TANSTAAFL right? yeah I love free lunches, because everyone can buy these right!?

All right guys, many thanks for your time.

crackers · #10 28th November 2004, 05:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Entity

crackers: TANSTAAFL right?

Crud. I was sounding it out in my head and missed that.

Ug · #11 1st December 2004, 12:02 PM

Come again?

sailor · #12 1st December 2004, 06:09 PM

TANSTAAFL is from the writtings of Robert Heinlein:

"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch" (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress)

GROK

ieuuk · #13 2nd December 2004, 03:28 PM

thing is... this is a quality forum which always works and looks really good. Things like that dont come for free.

Entity · #14 12th December 2004, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ieuuk

thing is... this is a quality forum which always works and looks really good. Things like that dont come for free.

Does that mean that free and open source softwares are not quality softwares?

***ewdi*** · #15 12th December 2004, 03:31 PM

It's a matter of personal preferences, like in coding i use visual slick edit in linux instead of kdevelop or ajunta, i use intelliJ java IDE for java instead of eclipse. Dont be mistaken in term of choice by quality, i choose those commercial apps because i'm used to them since college, and i choose vb over phpbb because i'm comfortable in vb templating system and hardly ever use phpbb.