Okay everyone, it's boiling down to three choices:]

1. An updated version of Discus (the current software). This has the big advantage that we can keep the current archives (a *major* PITA for any other package). Basically, this would keep the present "look and feel" while adding things like e-mail notification, sticky threads, and nested subtopics.

2. YaBB. You can check out a "beta" version here:
http://www.sepsci.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi
This is the easiest package in which to tweak the look and feel, but it's lacking some of the requested features.

3. phpBB. Check out a "beta" version here:
http://www.sepsci.com/phpBB2/index.php
This comes closest to providing the desired feature set; customizing and tweaking can be done, but requires more knowledge and effort.

The archives are a major issue. Discus (at least the old version that runs the Forum now) uses a proprietary indexing format (the threads are plain-vanilla html); YaBB uses a proprietary index and ASCII files for the threads. phpBB uses a database (mySQL). Bottom line is that I don't have the skills to port the existing archives (which amount to almost 50MB of text!), and don't have the $$$ to have it done commercially. If we move to either the YaBB or phpBB platform, we can port over the currently active threads without too much trouble (basically just retyping), and then leave the Discus board running (but locked so that no new messages can be posted) to enable access to the archives.

Additional comments:

1. The two "beta" boards are just that. Please register, log in, and post to your hearts' content. Please *don't* post anything there that you expect to be permanent. All the posts and the member information will disappear when the final version is implemented.

2. Please post comments (pro or con!) here.

Thanks!

Stuff that's not gonna be there.

One of the requests is for on-line storage/display of chromatograms. That will not be part of the new board, for at least a couple of reasons:
- storage/bandwidth
- legal liability issues

All three candidate packages allow linking to external images/files simply by posting the appropriate URL.

Well I tried Yabb and never could get registered. It said I already existed but wouldn't let me post.

For me the most critical features is to be able to quickly see titles of new posts and new replies to posts I have already visited. Not Sure if Yabb does this.

Also, don't divide LC topics into subcatagories. I don't want to go to several places to see what is new.

I have almost never gone to archives in 4-5 years of participation so backward compatibility is not very important to me compared to imporved efficiency of time on forum

Bill, I've e-mailed you privately re the registration issue on the YaBB version of the test board.

Re the quick view of new posts: all three of the candidates support e-mail notification of replies to your posts. Both the YaBB and the phpBB boards show you new posts, but only after you've logged in (both of them allow "auto log-in" via cookie. I've gotten to depend on the "last day" and "last week" functions of the present board (how do those work for you?).

Re subcategories. On looking at the test boards again, you have a point. We definitely need a category for the hyphenated techniques. Would the following arrangement work:
- LC (including CE and TLC)
- GC
- hyphenated (LC-MS, GC-MS)
- "around the water cooler" (gossip & off-topic)
- news/announcements
- employment

Re archives. I find them *very* important (I still refer people to your posts on pH from a couple of years back); in fact, one of the things I'd like to do would be to go back and edit them down to provide a useful "chromatography faq". I know that I've learned a tremendous amount by following the Forum over the past 5 years, and I'd like to make it easy for newcomers to get the same benefit.

Hey Tom,

Once you decide on a new software package I may be able to help with the migration. If it is just text to html or html to text on a whole bunch of files I could probably do that with Perl. Even if we had to do bulk inserts into a DB I might be able to help.

Shoot me an e-mail when you are close to making a decision.