I have to say, I was beginning to regain some trust in the management decisions behind vBulletin. Now that the GM (Ray Morgan) has gone, I was hoping for some sanity in the vBulletin decision making.

I actually thought it was funny that the release date for the Gold version is December 21st. Because in a thread on vBulletinSetup we were asked to guess the date and I wrote “December 21st”. I wonder if there’s going to be a prize?

Anyway – a few days ago, vBulletin Solutions (it still sounds weird – I liked “Jelsoft” better) sent out an e-Mail: Gold is days away! They wrote that things are going according to plan and that they are going to go Gold on December 21st.

Today (Sunday, December 20th), Scott Molinari, owner of vBulletin Germany made an announcement, proclaiming the launch of vBulletin 4. The announcement title reads “Gold version coming up! But for now, in English only.”

It appears that the German version of vBulletin 4 is going to be delayed somewhat. I suspected that this was normal for a major version, where a lot of text must be translated. But then I read the announcement and the reasons for the delay. And I don’t want to withhold those details from those vBulletin users who don’t speak German.

The announcement reads as follows (translated into English):

Dear customers,
we have decided to wait a little with the German Gold version. The reason for that is that the software is not quite in a Gold state yet. Especially in regards to making translations [of the user interface and backend]. There is still text [that needs to be translated] hard coded in the code and in templates, which cannot be translated using phrases. There will be some changes to the Gold version, including those texts [which are still hard coded in the Gold version]. After that we will need some time to translate and check everything.

We are unhappy about having to disappoint you. All we can do is ask for your understanding. We plan to go through with the translation as follows:
1. Internet Brands plans to release vBulletin 4.0 Gold on Monday, 21.12.2009. We will make this version available to all our clients with the smallest time delay we can, of course. Since the releases usually happen at night-time [for Europeans], we will make the release at vBulletin-Germany no later than 22.12.2009.
2. A couple of days later we will release a German language file to all our customers.
3. vBulletin 4.0.1 is released approximately 2 weeks later. Provided the software is in an acceptable state, we will release a [fully translated] German version.

We hope to serve you better with this decision. We will still provide official support for 4.0 even though we discourage customers from using it in a live environment.

So basically what he’s saying is: don’t use vBulletin 4 Gold on a live forum. I have to say… I was not around when vBulletin 3.0 went Gold. But I somehow can’t imagine that it was in such a terrible state, that customers were advised not to use it on a live forum.

And just to make it perfectly clear – I’m not blaming vBulletin-Germany. They have actually made the right decision. They stood up and admitted that the Gold version isn’t really Gold-worthy and came out and said “don’t use it in a live environment.” And in recent months vBulletin-Germany was always the unfiltered, friendlier version of vBulletin. Scott Molinari doesn’t package everything he says in sickening sales-speak. He tells it like it is.

And for that he has my respect. So, my non-German friends and colleagues – I am passing on his advise to you. What you do with it, is your business.

I do have to say though, that once again I am disappointed in the way IB is conducting its business. It is so obvious they are desperate to make the Gold release before the year is out – it seems, at any price.
IB must realize that vBulletin 4.0 could make or break them – and with them vBulletin itself. Are they really so short-sighted that they risk releasing an unfinished product? Are they so comfortable with the idea that this will be a big dent in vBulletin’s image as a reliable and professional forum solution?

I can almost see things – 4 years down the line. Everyone is talking about vBulletin like they talk about Windows. “Don’t use the final version. Wait for SP1 – until then, it’s suicide!”

In that spirit I leave you with “Gold” by Spandau Ballet. I am now picturing IB staff sitting in their offices, chanting the lyrics of this classic… “There’s nothing left to make me feel small | Luck has left me standing so tall | Gold! | Always believe in your soul | You’ve got the power to know – you’re indestructible!”

Well guys, maybe you’d like that. But IB is not indestructible and, by the look of things, vBulletin 4.0 is not Gold.