Stenis

Reference our blog entry this topic is referring to...

This topic explains the formula we are using to calculate the renewal dates when we change the license structure. For general feedback or questions on the license structure as a whole please create a new topic.

Here are examples on how we would recalculate renewal dates and such.


Standard License with apps

• IP.Board Standard License expiring 1 June 2012
  
  • IP.Gallery expiring 1 July 2012
    
  • IP.Blog already expired

IP.Board has a 6 month renewal rate of $25 and Gallery has a renewal rate of $10. This means that if IP.Board's days are worth 1 then IP.Gallery's days are worth 0.4 ($10 / $25). Assume today is 15 May 2012 so IP.Board has 15 days of credit and IP.Gallery has 45 days.

So now we have to calculate the equivalent days. We do IP.Gallery's 45 days * 0.4 = 18 days equivalent credit to IP.Board. It is 15 days between today (15 May) and IP.Board's expiration (1 June) so therefore we have 15 + 18 = 33 days of credit to work with.

Next we have to sort out how to apply those 33 days of credit. We are altering the renewal dates of IP.Board at a factor of 1 and IP.Gallery at a factor of 0.4 so 1.4 days of credit to keep everything active. Taking 33 / 1.4 gives us 23.57 (24) days of credit from today's date. So this results in 24 days from today (15 May):

• IPS Community Suite
  
  • IP.Board new expiration of 9 June 2012
    
  • IP.Gallery new expiration of 9 June 2012
    
  • IP.Blog remains expired

Another example:

• IP.Board Standard License expiring 1 June 2012
  
  • IP.Nexus expiring 1 July 2012

This case is a bit different as IP.Nexus has a higher renewal rate ($35) than IP.Board so the weight is 1.4. However, the formula is the same:

IP.Nexus 45 days * 1.4 = 63 days resulting in 78 days of credit from today (15 May). Again adding in the weights gives us 2.4 so we then do 78 / 2.4 = 32.5 (33) days of credit:

• IPS Community Suite
  
  • IP.Board new expiration of 18 June 2012
    
  • IP.Gallery new expiration of 18 June 2012
    
  • IP.Blog remains expired

Business License

For business licenses we will add in a new package type called "Priority Support and Service" or similar that will be an addon package to the Suite license.

Legacy Licenses

Lifetime license will change to:

• IPS Community Suite
  
  • IP.Board (Legacy: lifetime license - no extra services - ticket support included) No Expiration

If a Lifetime license holder as addons they will be recalculated using the same formula.

Perpetual license will change to:

• IPS Community Suite
  
  • IP.Board (Legacy: perpetual license - no extra services - ticket support available on renewal) Expiration date caries over using same formula

IP.Board/Gallery/Blog bundle will change to:

• IPS Community Suite
  
  • IP.Board with current expiration date
    
  • IP.Gallery with no expiration
    
  • IP.Blog with no expiration

General renewals and new purchases

IP.Nexus 1.5 supports prorating purchases so when you add/renew a new application on the Suite your price paid will be prorated so renewal dates remain the same.

You will still be able to cancel renewals on specific products so, as an example, you bought IP.Gallery but decided after a while you didn't use it you can cancel that renewal yourself or reactivate it later if you change your mind.

Invision Power Services, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of IP.Board 3.3.0 and IP.Content 2.3.0!

Everyone at IPS is very proud of IP.Board 3.3.0 and IP.Content 2.3.0 updates. We have worked hard to create a quality, modern community platform and the feedback from our clients has been tremendous.

We are releasing the following new software:


IP.Board 3.3.0
Fully featured community platform including forums, members profiles, calendar, status system, integration, and much, much more.


IP.Content 2.3.0
Content management for your community - run a full web site or a simple community portal. The possibilities are endless.

Release Notes

Though IP.Board 3.3.0 and IP.Content 2.3.0 have been tested for months, you never know what you are going to get when thousands of people start using it overnight. Therefore: now that IP.Board 3.3.0 and IP.Content 2.3.0 will be used by a much larger audience we will probably come across as yet undiscovered bugs. You can expect maintenance releases as we work quickly to address any issues reported.

• We are now providing technical support and services for IP.Board 3.3.0 and IP.Content 2.3.0. As you might imagine, many thousands of clients will be asking for help so please note that if you request upgrade or install assistance that there could be a delay up to a few days to process that request.
  
• You may wish to take advantage of the automatic upload service in the client area to help upgrade your version.
  
• We may reply to this topic with hot-fix patches or notes if any critical issues come up so please use the "Follow this Topic" feature to get notified.
  
• If you experience any problems, before submitting a ticket, please disable all third party applications and hooks.
  
• You may wish to check our knowledge base for common upgrade issues.

What's new in IP.Board 3.3

In addition to this list there are countless other minor improvements and changes based on client feedback too numerous to mention. IP.Board 3.3 was all about polish so we hope you enjoy it.

Archive System: New feature to archive off topics to remove post table overhead
Warning System: New more flexible feature replaces old warning system
SEO Update: 'Dead end' links, unfriendly error pages, metadata tags, bounce rates
SEO Update: Banned users
SEO Update: Duplicate title tags, profile tabs, skin and language selectors, direct links to posts
SEO Update: Microformat and Schema Updates
SEO Update: Changes to tags, guests and unread links, title tags, soft 404s and schema additions for ratings
Performance Updates: Improving topic markers, today's top posters, post table access
Auto-share on posting: Tweet and share to Facebook when creating a topic
Reputation Updates: Like/reputation updates on a user's profile
Miscellaneous Updates: Log-in autosave, emoticons in signatures, log in as a member, duplicate forum, system schedular as a CRON and more.
Applications and Hook Updates: Application ordering, hook list update, hook settings
Moderation Tools Updates: Hide/Delete/Soft Delete consolidation and interface updates


What's new in IP.Content 2.3

AdminCP Interface Part 1 & Admin CP Interface Part 2: Significant ACP interface changes to improve consistency, usability, clarity and approachability
SEO Improvements: Duplication, header code, meta tag, page title and on-page HTML improvements, as well as a new URL memory system
Commenting & Other Enhancements: Improvements to commenting, quick navigation panel integration, reporting, reputation support and other article/database enhancements
New Features: Currently viewing plugin block and shared media field for databases
Tagging: Tag support implemented and a new tag cloud plugin block made available
Navigation Bar: Full tab control for the primary navigation bar
Relational Fields: Type-ahead relational fields and automatic cross-linking of related content
Nexus: Nexus package, purchase, support request, shipping, invoices and transaction feeds, and donation plugin block
Block Templates: New block templates functionality allowing developers to more easily share blocks and quality block templates
Odds & Ends: Updated default installation, ModCP integration, improved ACP logging, teaser paragraph article field and interface improvements

Invision Power Services, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of IP.Board 3.2.1, IP.Calendar 3.2.1, IP.Content 2.2.1, and IP.Nexus 1.3.1!

These releases are the first maintenance release after our highly anticipated release of IP.Board 3.2.0 and its related applications. These releases fix many reported issues.

We are releasing the following new software:


IP.Board 3.2.1
Fully featured community platform including forums, members profiles, calendar, status system, integration, and much, much more.


IP.Nexus 1.3.1
Fully featured commerce system to sell products, membership access, advertising, digital downloads, and more. Includes tools like a support desk to help manage you clients.


IP.Content 2.2.1
Content management for your community - run a full web site or a simple community portal. The possibilities are endless.


IP.Calendar 3.2.1
Event calendar for your community with multiple calendars, public/private events, and iCal support.




What's new in IP.Board 3.2.1

Between 3.2.0 and 3.2.1 the following changes have been made:

• A setting has been added to restore the ability to have proportionate profile photo sizes in topic view (3.2.0 enforced cropped square thumbnails).
  
• The visual skin editor has been enhanced to support more areas of the board.
  
• Several enhancements have been made to the webDav integration for external skin editing.
  
• More than 170 bug fixes have been implemented to IP.Board 3.2.0.

Please read our 3.2.0 announcement for a full list of what's new in the 3.2 series!

Really, it's awful that putting the software through the official validator shows about 99 errors with the HTML alone, and even worse that I managed to halve that amount by modifying my own forum a bit.

Most of these problems are down to stuff like not using & at all times, which is what, half a second of extra work?  I'm not talking about those in the script tags and stuff either, I'm talking about stuff like the forum index and forum links.

Now, I know some errors are due to third parties (the Facebook and Google code is awful), but really, most of these problems could be fixed in minutes, and it'd make IPB look so much more professional as a result.

Invision Power Services, Inc. is pleased to announce the release of IP.Board 3.2.0 and its Applications!

Everyone at IPS is very proud of IP.Board 3.2.0 and the Application updates. We have worked hard to create a quality, modern community platform and the feedback from our clients has been tremendous.

We are releasing the following new software:


IP.Board 3.2.0
Fully featured community platform including forums, members profiles, calendar, status system, integration, and much, much more.


IP.Gallery 4.1.0
Categories and photo albums for your members to share their images and videos on your community.


IP.Nexus 1.3.0
Fully featured commerce system to sell products, membership access, advertising, digital downloads, and more. Includes tools like a support desk to help manage you clients.


IP.Blog 2.4.0
Allow you and your members to post blogs on your community or syndicate externally hosted blogs easily.


IP.Downloads 2.4.0
Complete file management application including file version control, commenting, and forum topic linking.


IP.Content 2.2.0
Content management for your community - run a full web site or a simply community portal. The possibilities are endless.


IP.Chat 1.3.0
Engage your members in real time chat or send them private chats while in the chat room.


IP.Calendar 3.2.0
Event calendar for your community with multiple calendars, public/private events, and iCal support.




What's new in IP.Board 3.2!

In addition to this list there are countless other minor improvements and changes based on client feedback too numerous to mention.


Calendar Improvements

• SEO Improvements: http://community.inv...o-improvements/
  
• Consistency: http://community.inv...ii-consistency/
  
• RSVP: http://community.inv...-part-iii-rsvp/
  
• Simplification and interface changes: http://community.inv...erface-changes/
  
• iCalendar support: http://community.inv...lendar-support/

Moderator Functions

• Report Center improvements: http://community.inv...r-improvements/
  
• Editing Member improvements: http://community.inv...r-improvements/
  
• Moderator Control Panel: http://community.inv...-control-panel/

New Text Editor

• New editor and auto-save: http://community.inv...ew-text-editor/
  
• Cleaner interface, quick reply, quick quoting: http://community.inv...editor-part-ii/
  
• New post alert while typing reply: http://community.inv...ditor-part-iii/

AdminCP

• New style: http://community.inv...-admincp-style/
  
• New "like" reputation mode: http://community.inv...tion-mode-like/
  
• Easy member management: http://community.inv...ber-management/
  
• Improved restrictions: http://community.inv...s-enhancements/
  
• Forum Management: http://community.inv...rum-management/
  
• Remote skin editing: http://community.inv...e-skin-editing/

Core Functionality

• View new content and topic marking improvements: http://community.inv...d-topic-marking and part 2: http://community.inv...t-improvements/
  
• New Photo Editor: http://community.inv...w-photo-editor/
  
• Shared media: http://community.inv...e-shared-media/
  
• Tagging and prefixes: http://community.inv...g-and-prefixes/
  
• Notification enhancements: http://community.inv...n-enhancements/ and http://community.inv...cations-part-2/
  
• New mobile skin: http://community.inv...te-mobile-skin/
  
• Facebook, Twitter, and mobile updates: http://community.inv...mobile-updates/
  
• Visual Skin Editor: http://community.inv...al-skin-editor/

Miscellaneous Changes

• "Delete All" button has been added to the SQL error logs page
  
• Linear+ and Outline modes removed for topic viewing (they're a hold-over from an older time on the web and it's time to retire them)
  
• Support for IPv6
  
• You can now use the member management tools to search for incomplete members
  
• Pagination added to the incomplete members page of the ACP
  
• If only one skin or language is choosable, the dropdown selector at the bottom of the page will be hidden
  
• Member photos and member avatars are being merged into one function: member photo. There was too much overlap between the two features.
  
• IP.Calendar and IP.Chat will no longer be bundled in the IP.Board download zip to reduce the size of the download. This also allows clients who have no interest in IP.Chat or IP.Calendar to choose not to download or install those applications. Of course those who do wish to use those applications can easily download from the client area and install them.
  
• Rebuild FURL cache button has been moved to the cache management page.
  
• It is now possible to rename the "hooks" folder to something else editing the constant IPS_HOOKS_PATH in initdata.php.
  
• You can now edit each group's report center permissions directly from the group management area
  
• Report center now supports item marking to remember and indicate which reports you've viewed
  
• Customers who have purchased Copyright Removal no longer need to enter a separate Copyright Removal key. The copyright will automatically be removed when activating your license.
  
• New settings for attachments to limit size of files stored on disk
  
• Separate ACP restriction options have been added for managing spam users and incomplete users (access to these areas were previously controlled by the option "can manage banned users").
  
• "Show X Last visitors in profile" now shows always the last 5 visitors if the setting is enabled rather than having a 3, 5, 10 dropdown choice.
  
• New ACP tool to create the cronjobs to rebuild sphinx indexes
  
• When adding a ban filter in the ACP you will now have an option to enter a reason visible to all admins (the reason won't show in the public side).
  
• Pinned, polls, and moved topic prefixes have been moved to language files (they were previously in the settings area)
  
• Many redundant or pointless settings removed. Other settings moved to more logical locations. Some settings groups merged to create fewer groups to go through when setting up your community. System Settings menu item moved to a top-level menu item under System tab so it's available with one-click anywhere in AdminCP.
  
• The note box in your My Settings (UserCP) area has been removed. It is a hold-over from years past and doesn't seem to make sense in community software. If you are one of the very few people who use this: make a copy of your notes before upgrade.
  
• The unread topic marking system will now remember what page of a topic you left off reading rather than assume you read the entire topic on the first click.

IP.Nexus 1.3.0

• Global Changes http://community.inv...global-changes/
  
  • Updated to match the new styling in IP.Board 3.2 both on front end and AdminCP
    
  • Search functions integrated with AdminCP live search
    
  • Attention icons to display items needing your attention
    
  • 2Checkout.com gateway added
    
  • Support for PayPal subscriptions
    
  • Subscription option for packages so a member can only purchase an item once
    
  • Better support to remember a member's original member group when you are using IP.Nexus group promotion feature
    
  • More admin-level notification options of new activity
• Hosting improvements: http://community.inv...us-130-hosting/
  
• Customers and purchases: http://community.inv...-and-purchases/
  
• Support: http://community.inv...us-130-support/

IP.Gallery 4.1.0
http://community.inv...-41-dev-update/




Other Applications

Other applications have been updated to work with IP.Board 3.2.0, have received cosmetic improvements, and other minor updates to improve functionality. All applications will get larger updates now that IP.Board 3.2.0 has been released. Keep an eye on our news feed for information.

Code-Level Changes

These are changes made at the code-level of our software during this release phase that may interest our power-user clients.


Performance Improvements

• Reduced several cache-load queries on the ACP index page
  
• Combined two permissions queries loaded on every ACP page into one
  
• Added some additional cache-loading calls to other ACP pages (manage applications, manage hooks, manage members)
  
• Added some caching for fetching the max version ID in the upgrade_history table, which reduces the number of queries on the ACP manage applications page by the number of applications installed
  
• Changed how modules are grabbed when IN_DEV is enabled for menu building (runs one query instead of one query per application)
  
• class_forums was getting loaded and initialized twice in the Manage Forums page - fixed so it's not reloaded a second time. Also removed a shortcut for the class in the manage forums file to reduce small amount of overhead/memory.
  
• Removed a query for group data on Manage Forums page (group_cache is already loaded, so used that instead)
  
• Removed several deprecated functions, reducing the size of some classes and reducing their resulting overhead
  
• Edited language export routine (for IN_DEV mode) so that it only exports the data we absolutely need. This reduces the size of our language XML files significantly, and also reduces memory overhead needed to process the language XML files.
  
• Index added on ibf_posts.post_parent to speed up certain update queries that previously required a full table scan
  
• A lot of unused code in the friend management files has been removed
  
• Avatar or profile photo cleanup tools in ACP were unnecessarily loading and instantiating upload class
  
• Removed outdated/non-functional coloring in admin logs
  
• Calendar has been rewritten, and much unused code has been removed.
  
• Caches used by calendar were not being properly loaded at runtime
  
• Changed most of the file_exists call in the code with is_file for a faster code execution
  
• The bbcode cache now uses the ‘bbcode_tag’ field as array key instead of an incremental integer, that allows a faster data access for single bbcode tags as there is no need to scan the whole array with a foreach.
  
• An unnecessary query has been removed from the forum index view (the query used to verify the name used for the friendly URL is correct)
  
• Removed unnecessary query from report center report view
  
• A cache used by report center was being queried separately instead of at page initiation
  
• Report center plugins are now cached for quicker runtime lookup without having to query the database
  
• Useless queries removed from report center
  
• Some queries that selected all rows and counted them (instead of running COUNT style queries) were changed to be better optimized
  
• ACP skin files previously extended the output class unnecessarily. This was removed, resulting in approximately 20KB or more memory savings in each ACP page.
  
• Report center plugins are now cached for quicker runtime lookup without having to query the database
  
• RSS import now is much faster on boards with lots of feeds setup in the ACP.
  
• overWrite header query / method_exists moved from every page load and value is cached in app_cache

Developer-Oriented Changes
Changes that may impact resource authors and skinners (including removed functions, database changes, new hooks, etc.)

• $this->DB->force_data_type has been removed. Mod authors should now call $this->DB->setDataType( $column, $type ) instead.
  
• $this->DB->no_escape_fields has been hidden. You should use the available $this->DB->preventAddSlashes( array( 'col' => 1 ) ); syntax instead.
  
• Login management custom configurations have moved to database handling. conf.php (or conf.dist.php) files are no longer needed (though acp.php still is).
  
• search_results, sessions.location, and cache_store.cs_extra are all removed
  
• If you have a findIpAddress extension you can now add an array of additional columns to pull from your table as the fourth array member. i.e. "'posts' => array( 'author_id', 'ip_address', 'post_date', array( 'pid' ) ),"
  
• IPB will now do a better job of cleaning up centralized application data during uninstall, so applications don't have to do it manually. (http://community.inv...support-ticket/)
  
• The way hook data to-be-exported is stored has changed. This should have minimal impact on developers as the upgrade routine will update it for developers. This should make working with hooks between multiple developers easier, and make hooks import, export, install and uninstall in a much more consistent manner whether IN_DEV is on or not.
  
• Many skin system bugs have been resolved, and improvements implemented, making the skin system more flexible to developers using it outside of normal contexts, while allowing it to be more forgiving of various formatting possibilities (i.e. typehinting for function parameters and spacing around function parameter definitions).
  
• Central permission management now correctly can handle more than one permission type within a single application
  
• IPv6 is now supported. You should ensure any database columns holding IP addresses are varchar(46) or larger.
  
• You should use the new ipsRegistry::getAppClass( $app ); call to load your app_class_(application).php class. This ensures any library hooks execute as appropriate and consolidates duplicative code.
  
• You should use the new constants IPS_FILE_PERMISSION / IPS_FOLDER_PERMISSION for file and folder permission values. i.e. instead of chmod( $file, 0777 ); use chmod( $file, IPS_FILE_PERMISSION ); instead.
  
• Calendar has been completely rewritten - the DB schema has changed, dates are stored as datetime parts in MySQL, etc.
  
• The ACP has a new interface implemented, some of the JS has changed, jQuery is now supported in the ACP
  
• Removed 4 data hooks in public_forums_forums_topics: topicViewTopicData, topicViewDisplayData, topicViewForumData, topicViewPostData. All 4 of them can be replaced with a simple skin overloader for the template "skin_topic > topicViewTemplate".
  
• Photos and avatars have been merged.
  
• Photos thumbs are now cropped at 100px and you can select which area to crop
  
• Twitter / Facebook photos are actually imported and re-sized where possible (needs fopen URL wrappers otherwise the thumb URL for the services is used)
  
• Some functionality for importing/exporting/rebuilding from and to XML files has been hidden unless IN_DEV mode is enabled
  
• Added a second parameter for the function “$this→cache→getCache( $CACHE_KEY, FALSE );” which allows to skip the loading from the database if the cache isn’t loaded already.
  
• A new option to define an application when creating an hook, if the application is filled the code checks if it is enabled and if not skips loading the hook file completely.
  
  
  
  class_forums::fetchTopicFolderIcon() has been changed to return an array of meta-data about the topic that can be used to generate the topic icon, although Rikki is changing how topic icons work in general anyways.
  pp_*thumb*_x is now pp_*small*_x
  
• The sessions API (admin/sources/classes/session/api.php) now supports a different cutoff time rather than the default one, additional joins, ‘where’ query bits, complete ‘where’ query part override.
  
• The function “IPSLib::unpackGroup()” now is “IPSMember::unpackGroup()”.
  
• ACP group_form.php plugins now support an optional third method: postSave(). This method accepts one parameter (the group ID), is only called if present, is called after the rest of the group data is saved, and should not return anything.
  
• Added a getCount() method to the like class to return just the number of followers
  
• The setting disable_reportpost has been removed. Our applications now check the report center permissions directly, instead.
  
• Hooks Improvements: http://community.inv...s-improvements/
  
• Applications Improvements: http://community.inv...s-improvements/
  
• A new extensions file per-app is supported: permissionsSync.php. Class name should be “(app)PermissionsSync” and supports a constructor (ipsRegistry reference passed) and one method with no arguments: updatePermissions(). This method can be used to rebuild application caches when the app permissions have been updated from the central permission manager.
  
• Deprecated function getBlogID() in the blog API has been removed, developers will need to use the more updated function fetchBlogIds()
  
• makeProfileLink, memberViewImages, makePassword, makeNameFormatted, canReceiveMobileNotifications have been moved to IPSMember
  
• unconvertSmilies has been moved to IPSText. The redirect method in the bbcode class has been removed.
  
• The “doneScreen” method in the admin output class has been entirely removed. Authors are encouraged to use the global_message/silentRedirectWithMessage() methodology instead.
  
• The “redirect” method in the admin output class now simply routes to silentRedirectWithMessage(), and is marked deprecated.
  
• The template “global_main_wrapper_no_furniture” has been removed from the admin skin.
  
• Function “rebuildSphinxConfig” has been moved from “IPSLib” to “admin_core_applications_applications”
  
• classCommunication.php was removed, and classFileManagement.php was extended to handle POST requests (encompassing the only functionality missing compared to classCommunication.php)
  
• Almost all private methods have been switched to protected to allow more robust hook capabilities
  
• New pagination potions to use a next/previous style pagination. Next/previous style pagination supports AJAX pagination.
  
• The column “ban_nocache” has been removed from the “banfilters” table.
  
• New adminOutput method setMessage() has been added. Allows to set the global_message, and allows to specify a “sticky” flag or not.
  
• ACP Settings are now in their own “settings” module and the templates have been moved as well in “cp_skin_settings”.
  
• menu.xml files for ACP modules now support specifying a language key, which can then be placed into “(app)_admin_menulang.php” as “menu__(language_key)” to support menu language abstraction in the ACP. This is optional for apps.

We have upgraded the IPS Community to IP.Board 3.2.0!

This is the first step in the testing process for IP.Board 3.2.0's upcoming release. We will be testing the new version here for several weeks and working on fixing issues with the goal of our first public beta release being as stable as it can be.

Please look around and help us in testing by submitting reports to our bug tracker so we can all work together to create a stable release. Keep in mind that our applications - IP.Gallery, IP.Blog, IP.Calendar, IP.Chat, IP.Downloads, and IP.Content - have also all been updated to be compatible with IP.Board 3.2 so please also test those. Your help is greatly appreciated!

You may wish to review the What's New in IP.Board 3.2 topic for information on the exciting changes in IP.Board 3.2.


Downloading IP.Board 3.2.0

IP.Board 3.2.0 is not yet available for download.

We are using it here on our company forums both as a preview for feedback and to identify any possible issues before release. Before a final release we will be testing it here on our company forums for a few weeks and then posting betas for download for all active license holders and invite you to participate in the beta testing process when we reach that milestone. When the final, supported release is made available we will make an announcement here.

Invision Power Services, Inc. is pleased to announce the update of our iPhone and iPad app is now available!

You can download the update to our iPhone / iPad app in the Apple App Store. This update fixes bugs reported in previous versions. Please be sure to let us know if you experience any issues.

About the iPhone and iPad app for IP.Board

Our iOS app for IP.Board allows you and your members to easily login, browse, and post to your IP.Board community anywhere they are. The app remembers their login, has quick links to often used features, and allows your members to upload images to IP.Gallery, and even has Push notifications for new activity to encourage your members to come back to your community.

The app is free for anyone to download from the App Store and members can add the logins to all the various IP.Board-powered communities they visit to easily browse and keep up with all their conversations. Push notification service requires an active IP.Board license.



Future Improvements

This release only contains bug fixes as we wanted to get things working better before getting into new features. Upcoming improvements in the mobile space include further improvements to our iOS app, Android app, and white-label services. Here is a quick overview:

iOS

We will be further improving the stability and speed of the app. Future versions of IP.Board will also add support for other areas like IP.Gallery and IP.Blog viewing and posting blog entries on your mobile device. The iPad experience is also a big area of focus as everyone with an iPad knows how fun it is browsing communities.

Android

We know it's been promised for some time but work on the Android app is now in progress. We hope to have an update on this before IP.Board 3.2 is released!

White-label Service

We are happy to be able to announce that the white-label service is now available for our mobile apps. This service will allow you to create a privately branded version of our apps exclusively for use on your community. Please be sure to read our site for full details!

In addition to the great software that IPS offers in its Community Suite line, we offer many great benefits that go along with the products to enhance your community, make it easier to manage, and allow you to focus on your members rather than software management.

As the first supported release of IP.Board 3.1.0 and its applications is nearly here, we thought we would take this time to review all the great benefits you get along with the software suite itself.


Spam Monitoring Service [more info]

The Spam Monitoring Service is a great, free service for all active IP.Board license and IPS Community Hosting clients. The Spam Monitoring Service leverages the many thousands of IP.Board community installs all over the web to help track and catch those spammers attempting to register on your community. It works like this:

• Someone attempts to register on your community.
  
• Your local IP.Board install contacts IPS Spam Monitoring servers to see if that user registering is a known spammmer.
  
• If so, the service gives the account a score of the likelihood it is a spammer and your IP.Board can ban them or put them up for manual approval depending on your preferences.

The Spam Monitoring Service can "learn" from the thousands of communities reporting registration statistics to it and spot trends. For example, a real human would never be able to register on 50 communities in a matter of one minute but a spam bot could so the service learns from this and bans accounts it sees doing that sort of behavior.

For the privacy of you and your members registering, the service does not store any member information permanently.


Skin Generator [more info]

The free Skin Generator is a great tool to get you on your way to customizing the look and feel of your community to make it your own. For both novice and advanced skinners, the Skin Generator speeds up the process of creating a skin with custom colors, header, and other options. From there you can continue to edit it to further create your own, unique look for your community!


Community Projects [more info]

There are many great products that IPS itself doesn't have time to make. To fill those gaps, some of our great community of customers have come together to volunteer their time to create free products that work right with IP.Board as any other application. All are offered for free to active license holders and done for the fun of it by the volunteers. Be sure to thank them for their time and expertise!


Resources Section [more info]

We have some amazingly talented people in our customer community and many of them create great articles, tutorials, graphics, skins, and modifications to the IPS community suite. Many are free, some have a small fee, all can be useful enhancements to your community.

Take a look through the directory of articles for interesting tutorials and tips for your community. The Downloads section is full of graphics, skins, modifications, and more for your community. Finally, be sure to subscribe to receive updates (or the RSS feed) on the Resources Blog where our community of contributors can post updates on their latest creations!


iPhone App [more info]

Our new iPhone App for IP.Board has already been a great success and is free for both you and your members! Now your members can visit your community quickly and easily while on their mobile device. They can upload Gallery images and even update the status on your community and, if enabled, Facebook and Twitter all at once.

The iPhone App is brand new and we will continue to enhance it with your feedback. An Android platform app is on the way too!


Technical Support

Included with every IP.Board license and IPS Community Hosting account is great support. You can feel free to ask us a basic question, request we install or upgrade the community suite software for you, or query us on an advanced question. We are here to help your community grow and let you focus on your members rather than technical issues.


IP.Chat [more info]

Having Live Chat on your community adds a unique way for your members to interact. The IP.Chat service includes 5 online users for free with your suite and you can upgrade to higher levels for a very low yearly fee.

Your chat logs are available right in your AdminCP (with IP.Board 3.1) and you can easily kick, ban, or even privately chat with members by simply clicking their name right in the chat room.


Community Directory [more info]

The new Community Directory allows any IP.Board community to be listed right on your site. Show off your community and get more traffic! The Directory is brand new so be one of the first to list your community. Also, for even greater exposure, a future version of our iPhone App will include mobile access to the Directory.



We hope you enjoy all these benefits to using the IPS Community Suite! We will continue to innovate and add more benefits all the time. Everyone at IPS is looking forward to the release of the first supported version of  IP.Board 3.1.0 on the afternoon of June 1 (Eastern time). Thank you for your support!