XenForo: The Future of Forum Software

Computing, On The Internet

Is Facebook killing forums?  That was an essay topic on the Admin Zone forums.  My opinion is that forums have survived the onslaught of all sorts of “threats” over the years, which turned out to be minor blips on the radar.  As the Facebooks over the years have come and gone, forums have survived.  We’ve survived instant messaging, Twitter, MySpace and other so far.  Forums are more focused, and group members are more single-minded in the topic at hand.  Facebook is more generalized, simpler and more user-friendly in many aspects; we’re comparing apples and oranges.

Forum software itself has grown rather stagnant, however.  phpBB3 was a long-overdue update to phpBB2 that caused many forum owners such as myself to look elsewhere since the software sat undeveloped for about five years.  SMF’s latest version looked promising but there, the development staff has splintered and development has ceased, despite what they are claiming publicly.  vBulletin had a major update with the release of 4.0, but many forum administrators (present company included) found it to be a bit nicer looking, but also a bit slower and rather devoid of any really new thinking in the area of forum software.  How did such a major and influential product lose its way?

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Dropbox: Sync, Share and Backup Your Files

Android Corner, Computing

Dropbox - Secure backup, sync and sharing made easy.Dropbox has proven to be one of this year’s best utilities.  In my increasingly hectic life, I’ve found that I need access to certain information whether I’m at home, at a shared computer, or on the road.  Thanks to the Android phone, I have access to all of my email and messaging, and with Dropbox I am now able to have important files of mine available for access anywhere I go.

Dropbox is an online service that gives you a small but usable amount of storage space to store your computer files.  You can purchase a larger account that holds up to 10GB of files, but even with a basic free account, you can earn additional storage space for referrals, or other tasks such as installing Dropbox on additional computers.  Even if they began charting a small amount for their basic account, it would be money well spent.

So, how exactly does Dropbox work?  And what can you do to make the most of it?  Read on…

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Many Corners, One Site

Site News

We’ve reorganized things here a  bit: to help divide up our content, we have now more clearly separated our posts into their respective Corners.   In the spirit of the original Rudy’s Corner, all music, video and book reviews are under the main “Music, Video & Print” category.  Gadgets, such as audio and video hardware, computers, Zune portables and other tech items are now in Gadget Corner.  Due to the increasing number of topics and a future project in the works, Android phones have their own Corner here.  Gaming Corner will feature articles and reviews of video games.  And as always, “Say What?” will be anything else you can think of.

We are considering a new theme for the site, which will prominently feature these major sections as menu tabs across the top but, until then, the “Corners” are now listed below our site’s main navigation menu on the left.  If the reorganization still proves to be too hectic, Rudy’s Corner may very well split into a network of related sites.  Thanks for visiting!

“Juke In The Back” – Matt The Cat’s New Radio Gig

Radio (Online, XM, AM, FM)

As many fans of the late, lamented XM5 channel will remember, Matt The Cat was one of XM’s greatest talents.  Out on his own for a couple of years now, Matt has been keeping the Friday Night Cat Fight alive through a weekly podcast.  His newest program is called “Juke In The Back,” and is being carried by a growing number of radio stations around the country.  This program features “The Soul Before Rock & Roll,” the rhythm and blues that predated the rock and roll era.  The name comes from the era when the jump blues records would not be available on the jukebox in front of an establishment, but were instead found on the jukebox in the back.  This is another excellent show.  Check the site often for local listings, or stream it via Rock-It Radio.  If you are a radio programmer, consider becoming an affiliate.

How Your Google Account Empowers Android

Android Corner

For the most part, I’ve heard very few complaints about the way Google’s services tie into an Android phone.  Some of the complainers, in fact, don’t even own an Android phone and claim, “Hey, my phone can use Google Maps, and I can get my Gmail.”  Talk about missing the point!  On an iPhone I looked at recently, Google’s “apps” were nothing more than a menu of Google shortcuts to mobile versions of their various sites.  They work, but they don’t integrate.  At any rate, I’ll give you a rough outline of how your Google account ties into the Android phone, and how it makes the platform easier to use overall.

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