Thanks to Paul Puzyrev and Sergei Larionov for taking the time to answer our questions about miniBB!

NOTE: Answers are marked "P" (Paul) or "S" (Sergei)


How/When did you first start coding and why?

P: Probably I was 14 or 15 years old schoolboy, and when I saw one of the first USSR personal computers, called 'BK-0011', I excitingly exlaimed: That's the start of coding the Matrix!?
S: I've started coding in school, when we were studying Turbo Pascal. I still love it, but now mostly write on PHP, which I studied on my own few years later.


How did you get involved in creating forum systems?

S: We wanted to create our own project on PHP. It was Pauls idea to start working on miniBB, so he involved me in working on this project.
P: I urgently needed a simple, suitable forum system for my own needs. That was the way, how an idea turned into a hobby, and later the hobby into the business.


What is your main roll as a team member?

P: Well, I simply own the main roll. Probably, persons like me are called CEO's but I would like to use another abbreviation UFO. Unidentified flying officer.
S: Right now starting from the 2nd version, I'm working on several new plugin, some of these are available already, the rest will follow.. shortly!


What do you enjoy most about miniBB?

S: miniBB's simplicity and its performance-optimized code is what makes the board a perfect forum example for me.
P: I'm enjoying really everything; but probably, the most exciting part is when users discover errors in your program, which you don't know about at all. These errors force to look at yourself from another side.


What do you feel the best features of miniBB are?

S: I think, the best features of the board are very fast and customizable template engine and very low script execution times, which makes the board reliable even in case of high server load.
P: MiniBB itself is the best feature an online project could have. The feature for the site owner, who knows his own requests.


What do you think users should get out of a forum system and why?

S: Forum software should be simple, there's no need to overload it with a large number of powerful features. That's why our board has most additional features supplied as plugins.
P: I would ask a bit another way: What forum HOLDER should get out of it?? If you want to make your online project more popular and well-known, community is the first step to this. Your members are making content instead of you, you just need to worry about the clearness of this content. As more thematical content you get in a shortest time, as more popular becomes your project. That's why forum system's key point is the only one SPEED. It should be fast, in any way.


What advice would you give to somebody who is starting his or her own community?

P: Be different. Be cool. Be tyrant.
S: Choose a reliable supported software. Don't fall for ****.


How has MiniBB changed over the years?

S: miniBB has become a mature forum software, with its own style and pecularities, like a teenage girl who turned into a stylish young lady.
P: I think, it's already a mistress, amigo. We have followers.


How does MiniBB compare with some of the other forum systems available?

P: It compares very well.
S: miniBB smiles seeing all other forum systems :-)


How many people are now in the MiniBB team?

P: Google currently points to over 2 million sites mentioning miniBB. I think, at least these 2 millions are all in the team.
S: 2 or 2 millions, does it really matter? ;-)


If you were going to start an online community, which forum software (excluding your own) would you use, and why?

S: I don't have any particular forum software in mind, I would go to any major script repository website and find most attractive board not overloaded with things I don't need at all.
P: I would mention punBB, SEO-board and BBPress, since they are following nearly close our own concepts of the forum script, despite each of them is designed for a different task.


What would you consider more important; user interface or masses of features?

S: User interface, of course! Nice interface saves your time, masses of features consume it.
P: It's always nice to be important, but it's also important to be nice. I also choose first. But the most important thing afterall is a popularity. Everybody decides on his own, how to achieve that.


How long does it usually take the MiniBB team to make a stable release?

S: Usually we're testing the board for one month in all possible situations after writing a new version.
P: If stable means a study, when no new features are invented and nobody is discovering new errors, it does take 5+ years already, but still, I can not give a precise answer about this period.


How do you think forum systems in general will change in the future?

S: New Web standards and software are going to affect the future of all boards.
P: I agree. Forum system is actually an interface to the database, so better ask operating system, browsers, database developers about this... Being honest, I think, the best way of communication are still the public meetings, as what we are meaning under the forum. That's the past and the future of all human discussions.


What does the future hold for miniBB?

S: We're planning to make the board compatible with the new current and future Web standards, so that this board will never become obsolete.
P: Oh, let's don't discuss the future. We are living now and today.


Paul, Sergei; thanks for the interview!




© AdminFusion.com

==================

This interview may not be republished in whole or in part under any circumstances.