phpBB • Free and Open Source Forum Software

Every now and then a question pops up in the discussion forums about which MODs are most essential for board owners to install. It’s difficult to answer this question for one key reason; what is essential for one admin may be trivial to another. It all comes down to personal preferences and the unique needs of a particular bulletin board. Unfortunately, while this response is accurate, it still leaves enthusiastic new administrators without any answers.

The purpose of this blog post isn’t to provide a definitive answer to the question, but more to provide something of a starting point for users beginning their search for suitable MODs… or something to munch on for the statistically inclined!

Number of downloads is the primary piece of data used in the calculation of the statistics below. There is no way of knowing exactly how many times a MOD has been installed so the number of downloads is the best option available to reasonably estimate a MODs ranking in terms of total use in the wider community.

Due to the overwhelming success of the Attachment MOD which provided functionality for file attachments in the early-to-mid 2000’s, Acyd Burn remains – and will remain for the foreseeable future – phpBB’s most downloaded MOD author.

If anyone reading this is feeling nostalgic, you may also be interested in the figures for phpBB2 MODs. Quite conceivably (and conservatively), at its peak the Attachment MOD averaged over 200 downloads per day.

What is a Junior Validator?

Junior Validators assist the MOD Team with the validation of MODs. They help the MOD Team validators with pre-validation and testing.

Pre-validation involves running a check on MODs newly submitted to the MOD Database queue using the MOD Pre-Validation tool (MPV) and setting a status on the MOD accordingly.

Testing is the major role of a Junior Validator, and requires installing the MOD on a vanilla phpBB3 board through AutoMOD. After installing the MOD, all functions of the MOD and board should then be tested – all to make sure that the MOD and the board run error-free. The Junior Validator then makes any notes or suggestions to the MOD Team concerning the MOD and, again, the MOD status is set accordingly (“approve”, “deny”, “repack”, etc). In a nutshell, this is the role of a Junior Validator.

Why should I become a Junior Validator?

As a Junior Validator you will be gaining valuable first-hand experience with MOD Team processes which could lead to consideration for a position on the MOD Team. You will also have access to private forums including a Junior MOD Validators forum where you can discuss MOD validation with fellow Junior Validators and MOD Team members.

Most importantly, it will be fun! If you have a passion for writing MODs you will find working with the MOD Team to help validate MODs, and also the opportunity to give something back to the community, very rewarding. The phpBB Team is a very friendly group of people so the chance to work closely with the MOD Team will be very enjoyable.

What are the requirements?

To be considered for a position as a Junior Validator, it is important that you:

– have authored a MOD and submitted it to the MOD Database.
– can communicate in English.
– understand the phpBB3 codebase.
– have an understanding of MODX and MOD policies
– are familiar with the MOD Validation checklist

Where can I apply?

To apply, please fill out the form at the bottom of the Junior Validators page and your application will be reviewed by the MOD Team shortly thereafter. Successful applicants will be notified by private message on phpBB.com.

As the title already says, this blog post will describe how the MOD Team validates modifications and what happens to them before they come out at the other end of the queue.

Read the rest of this entry »

The MOD team always gets a lot of questions, feedback and more from MOD authors. This is mostly after a persons MOD was denied for a certain reason, we change something, or just about one of the policies we have.

We get a lot of questions from them if we do anything with the feedback, or if we actually listen to it, I want to explain here how we handle this kind of feedback.

Read the rest of this entry »

Many modification authors complain about the process involved in getting a modification into the MODs Database. It can be a long and tedious process. The Modification Team doesn’t try to make this process as difficult as possible just to annoy authors. There are many reasons why we validate MODs before accepting them into the MOD Database. Some include secure and bug free code, uniform zip files and guaranteed to be installable on a vanilla phpBB.

Read the rest of this entry »