Honda-Tech.com down, possibly out..
коли под наемHonda-tech.com, the largest Honda specific site on the internet, is currently down.
It appears that the owner of H-T decided to save some money by dumping the previous bulletin board host, RelyNet, and appears to be in the final stages of implementing a vBulletin based system. Its no shock that this conversion is happening, as people are looking for any way possible to save a buck, and vBulletin is free software vBulletin costs even more than RelyNet, but is owned by the parent company of Internet Brands, so it is now free for H-T to use. Compare that to the $149 a month H-T was likely to cost before the conversion, and you have the motive.
A quick browse through the forums between database error messages, shows that the user base is less than happy about it. A revolt seems to be brewing, which may cost H-T precious ad impressions, not to mention users altogether. RelyNet is widely regarded as the best bulletin boarding software on the internet, while vBulletin is generally reviled by most hardcore bulletin board users.
It appears the H-T admins didn’t inquire with their user base to determine which system they prefer new owners did not listen to the old system admins at H-T, and apparently went forward with the conversion without even announcing the change. Time will tell whether or not this ends up being a mistake, but at first glance it looks to be motivated solely by money.
Feel free to log in to the comments section here and leave your thoughts on the H-T change over..
EDIT: The previous owner of honda-tech, George Knighton, has commented to inform everyone that the admins at H-T had no say in the transition to vBulletin. It turns out, as he pointed out in the comments, that Internet Brands owns JelSoft, who in turn owns vBulletin, and thus his hands were tied.