New forum = New Features

[Pincus]

So, we are using phpBB3 for our new forum, so what does that mean for our users?

For starters, it means we have something that should (hopefully) be less clunky and easier to manage as time goes on. We were having some issues with SMF, since we were using an older version. Having something that is actually being developed under a sensible license does help...a lot!

This also means we have new toys to play with, so I'd like to document them here. Keep your eyes on this post, as more features are enabled, I'll update the information here.

1. Pizloz is your friend (in Jabber)
One of the nifty features of phpBB3 is you can get notification of updates in a multitude of ways. Email, ATOM feeds (see later), and now Jabber. What is Jabber, you ask? It's the chat system used by The Grim (at thegrim.org, or via the web at http://chat.thegrim.org). It's also used by Google (for GTalk), and Facebook for their chat systems.

Pizloz, my little imp, is your helper too! If you have a Jabber account (either through thegrim.org, or a GMail account), you can add your Jabber UID into your profile. If you have a GMail address, your Jabber UID is your GMail address. When you get a new PM, or need to be notified of a new post, Pizloz will IM you, letting you know you have something to read. This tool is very useful for people who have persistent IM connections (those who live on chat, or those with Android phones).

I'll also be looking into a tighter Android/mobile integration for those of us with mobile devices.

2. ATOM feeds
Every forum on this site is enabled to have ATOM feeds? What are ATOM feeds? Basically, it's RSS on steroids. So, if you have a feed reader you like to use, then you can read The Grim posts along with your other news tidbits of the day.

Note, your reader will need to have support for authenticated feeds. This means those who use Google Reader can't read the feeds without a workaround. Since I'm one of those people, once I get a workaround implemented, I'll share the information with you.

[Mortica]

Best new feature: not getting logged out when you use the browser "back" button!