SMF 2.1 Beta 1 Released

Started by Skhilled, November 25, 2014, 08:45:05 AM

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Skhilled

This was released a few days ago...but I've been quite busy.  :blush:

Please remember that this is a beta release and is NOT intended to be used on live sites!!! There are still bugs and incomplete features. There will be no requests for new features at this time.

The announcement is here: http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=530233.0

For those brave enough to try it, you can check out the new support board here: http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?board=254.0

I think I'll give it a try this weekend...

aura

i will be very interested in your thoughts Skhilled *S*

Siggy and Mega by me

Skhilled

Ok, my thoughts as I go through the process...

The installation appears the same with just a few very minor changes. The one I like the most is the addition of the registration option settings. This is great because people tend to forget to set the registration options after installation...until they get a spammer or 2 like I've done myself a few times.  :hah: With this, you have to set it before the installation is completed!  8)

The colors of the theme are drab as before but the addition of icons in the main menu is a nice touch. The footer is nice and clean with a useful "Go Up" link located at the bottom right to quickly go to the top of whatever page you are on. "User-friendly" is always welcomed!

At the very top of the forum, is a bar containing Your name with a dropdown box. This box has easy access to your posts, profile, account settings, notifications and more..things that are usually found buried in your profile. This bar also has your Messages, Alerts, and the search bar.

Quick reply is now enabled by default.

The Moderation Center now has all moderation actions such as watched members, etc. as well as logged Moderator actions in one place! This should make moderating your forum a lot easier.

The main admin page has been revamped. The options are now contained in 5 horizontally lined sections make the appearance much cleaner. The most interesting thing about this page is the "End Admin Session". I "assume" the admin is now a separate session from the normal forum session.. Clicking this link will log you out of the admin and send you directly to the main forum page.

All logs are now found on the Logs page along with Profile Edits made by all users (which is not enabled by default).

Drafts are new and allow you to save a copy of a post if you do not have time to finish it now, for instance.

PHP Info (php.ini) settings are shown in the admin! This is great for new users or those who do not know how to find out what their server settings are!  :cool2:

In Forum Maintenance, you'll find "Integration Hook". Currently in SMF, disabling hooks can be a big problem depending on how a mod is coded. With this option you can see a hooks and disable them here. I have not installed any mods yet so I have no idea if this works or how well it works yet. But, in theory, it is a great idea!

One thing I do not like is that popups cannot be moved around the screen. For instance, the date by default is set to 2014-27-11 which is for UK/Europe. To find out what I need (USA time zone which are different) I needed to click the little ? help icon. This shows me what I need to to enter to accomplish this but you cannot move the popup box to the side so you can compare what you have with what you need to enter. The popup shows up directly over the info you need to see and cannot be moved.

There are many other small improvements as well. If SMF decides to make these features work well together or add/remove some of them remains to be seen in the final version. A much bigger issue concerning most forum owners is if any of the larger mod and theme coders will upgrade their wares. This is currently a HUGE problem for SMF along with the lack of, much needed, friendier support.