vBulletin 3.0.8 Released - Forums will be upgraded - Maintenance Notice

[NIS-Francisco]

Hello,

There has been a new release of vBulletin fixing several security holes and bugs (this forum uses vBulletin software), hence we will need to do a maintenance on the forums today.

We will be upgrading vBulletin Forums from 3.0.7 to 3.0.8, once vBulletin v3.5 goes gold we will upgrade to that new version. We will announce when we will do this though.

Here's the warning e-mail from vBulletin:

JELSOFT E-BULLETIN
http://www.vbulletin.com/
July 28th, 2005

This email contains important security-related information.
Please read it carefully.

* vBulletin 3.0.8 Released
* vBulletin 3.5 Release Candidate 1 Info
* Your License Information
* Contact Us


---------------- VBULLETIN 3.0.8 RELEASED ----------------

While most development time is currently focussed on preparing vBulletin 3.5 for stable release, various problems and bugs have been reported in the vBulletin 3.0 series.

The release of vBulletin 3.0.8 includes fixes for various issues and some minor security problems in earlier versions. We would therefore recommend that all customers currently running a version of vBulletin 3.0.x upgrade to this version.

Customers already running one of the pre-release versions of vBulletin 3.5 do not need to take any action related to vBulletin 3.0.8 - the fixes in this version are already included in the 3.5 code.

Changes for MySQL 4.1 Support
-----------------------------
As many people have discovered, MySQL 4.1 disagrees with the method used by vBulletin 3.0.x to store attachments, avatars, profile pictures and any other binary data stored in the database, resulting in what appears to be corrupt data.

The 3.0.8 upgrade script runs several queries to resolve this problem, meaning that attachments and avatars etc. will function properly with MySQL 4.1.

Once again, these changes are already included in vBulletin 3.5.

XSS Flaws in faq.php, private.php, and several templates
--------------------------------------------------------
Minor cross-site-scripting flaws exist in faq.php, private.php and various templates in previous versions of vBulletin 3.0.x. vBulletin 3.0.8 corrects these problems.

----------------------------------------------------------
For more details, see the following thread at vBulletin.com:
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148584

------------ VBULLETIN 3.5 RELEASE CANDIDATE 1 -----------

Customers who regularly visit the community forums at vBulletin.com will know by now that vBulletin 3.5 has reached the Release Candidate stage. While this is not considered a stable or supported version at this time, all customers with valid, current licenses may download the latest vBulletin 3.5 version from the members' area at http://members.vbulletin.com.

vBulletin 3.5 contains numerous exciting new features to improve the experience of visiting and administering a bulletin board. Here are a few examples:

Hooks, Plugins and Products
---------------------------
A major new feature in vBulletin 3.5 is the plugin and product system. For the first time, it is now possible to run custom PHP code from within vBulletin without modifying any PHP files--all from the comfort of the Admin Control Panel. Plugins can be properly 'installed' (and uninstalled) via an XML import, which will import all the plugin PHP code, settings, templates and phrases in a very simple manner, allowing everybody to benefit from the numerous modifications available for vBulletin.

Inline Moderation
-----------------
One of the most requested features for vBulletin has been inline moderation, and now it's available. Administrators and Moderators can manage threads and posts wherever they appear, even within search results. An easy-to-understand interface is provided to make moderating even a huge board more manageable.

AJAX Functionality
------------------
One of the quickest-growing technologies to hit the web in recent years, AJAX (asynchronous javascript and XML) allows modern browsers to send and receive data from a web server without refreshing the page. AJAX is employed in several places in vBulletin, including the ability to switch instantly from a WYSIWYG text editor to a standard editor showing bbcode markup, automatic user name suggestion for private message recipients and the ability to edit thread titles directly from the thread listings page.

New Text Editor
---------------
vBulletin 3.5 debuts a new, completely re-written message editor that improves on speed and reliability. Compatible with a wider range of browsers than before, the new editor aims to extract the most functionality from whatever browser runs it.

A more extensive list of new features can be found in the vBulletin 3.5 development update here:
http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138544

Thank you for your support.
Francisco

[NIS-Francisco]

Upgrade complete.