Some observations:

1 - Renderosity has used PHP for ages.  The "ez" pages are php pages with a different extension.  So the "PHP forums" marketing spin crap is just smoke.

2 - Swade -- your ignorance about the capabilities of others and your arrogance in assumptions is giving me a huge laugh. Please, continue.

3 - The software for the forums is not finished being written. Yes, that's right -- they have converted the site over to forums that have not been finished yet. While it tells you a huge amount about the consideration that the site Owners have for the people that frequent this place, I can safely say that the people who run it more or less are not quite that inconsiderate, and are likely doing everything that they can to fix things as fast as they can.

4 - Every single complaint thus far has revolved around 2 issues: functionality and presentation. And, actually, the second one is tied into the first one.

The previous software allowed the end user the ability to customize pretty much everything about their experience with the site.  As Renderosity is switcing over to a new software base, that functionality of presentation has changed, and so people are saying "give me the old one back" when what they mean is "give me the ability to change it like I used to back".

Likewise, the previous software allowed us to do a great many different things (search by username, format posts, etc).  There has long been calls and complaints to bring in addditional functions like signatures and bbcodes and avatars.  Rather than shoehorn them into the old code (which seems to be something that the Poser users are pretty pissy about for some strange and unknown reason), they are writing a whole new codebase that starts with those new features.

Now, given that the code is not finished (that is, they haven't even finished adding stuff to it), and that the software is intended for sale once it is finished, they are using Renderosity as a beta testing pit for the software.

And we are the beta testers.

As a result, it is our job to make sure they add everything we want them to add.  And to do that, we have to be vocal about it, and be vocal in groups, as that gives them a measure of just how important the feature is for them to work on implementing it.

In short -- no one is whining.

They are responding to suddenly finding themselves the unwilling participants of a beta test in the most appropriate way possible:  they are making the flaws, bugs, and quirks of a bad piece of software known tot he designers of that software, who, in turn, are making it better as fast as they possibly can.

Sooo

 A - don't stop telling them what they screwed up., Do it more often and louder. IF eer there was a time they needed to listen, this is it, and I suspect they will with the competition they refuse to acknowledge floating around them like sharks circling for the kill.

 B - Give them time to fix it.  This isn't like the open source boards where you can grab additional open source code and plug it in and poof, it works.  They cannot use any open source code at all.  Even for reference (using it for reference makes it a derivative and still subject to the licensing).  So they have to write it all from scratch, using pretty much only the manuals or software which they have to pay for themselves. That's gonna take a while.

5 - Just wait until they start beta testing the new gallery software :D

 

thou and I, my friend, can, in the most flunkey world, make, each of us, one non-flunkey, one hero, if we like: that will be two heroes to begin with. (Carlyle)