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phpBB Services and Support for Sale

Effective December 30, 2009

General Information

References

Our site has special needs and demands, integrating disparate elements to provide our users with the best possible Shakespeare experience. The quality of work Mark D. Hamill performed in helping us integrate those elements in our forum was exemplary and we look forward to further cooperation with him.

Ron Severdia, playshakespeare.com

See more references

Forum

I have a phpBB Forum where you can ask me questions if you do not see what you are looking for here.

Services Offered

After a number of requests, I have decided to offer my skills at maintaining phpBB forums for sale. I offer the following services to the phpBB community:

Prices are under each type of service.

Payment Information

Before sending me money, please check first to make sure I will agree to do the work. Once I have agreed, use PayPal to send me the money in U.S. Dollars to markdhamill@gmail.com. You can use the convenient PayPal button below to get started. If you want to pay by check, email me and I will provide my snail mail address. I will deposit your check and ensure the funds have been received before I will install the modification. At this time I don't take credit cards.

Here is my policy on payment:

Please ask me if you need any clarification.

My Qualifications

Why should you choose me?

I have considerable experience and I am reliable and very professional. You may very well find others who will do the work for less money. However, you get what you pay for. I back up files before I modify them so I can go back to a previous version, if I need to. In addition I use professional tools that allow me to work on your site in a productive manner. My toolkit includes WinMerge, WebDrive and Macromedia Dreamweaver. In addition I have extensive knowledge of the phpBB code base, the PHP programming language, relational databases in general and MySQL in particular.

Competitors

There are other people offering similar services to mine. Of course you are welcome to choose anyone you want. Since I do my work during my spare time and on a non-priority basis (as I have a full time job) you may find a competitor to have better or faster service. This is fine with me as I frequently have more work than I can handle given my limited time.

EPwork.com is one of my competitors. While I cannot speak to the quality of their work, I can speak to their unethical behavior. Specifically they have been using my support forum to contact via private message people who visit my support forums in attempts to solicit business. They did this using my paid hosting, without my permission and costing me money. If you are concerned about the ethical behavior of those engaging in this sort of behavior, you might want to refrain from patronizing them.

Conditions

Potential customers need to understand the following before contracting with me:

What I need from you

To accomplish work on your site I must have certain privileges. Admittedly it can be difficult to give so much control to someone who is essentially a stranger. That is why I am glad to provide references so you can feel confident that I have not nor would I abuse your trust. The privileges I need depend on the work you want done.

Required:

May be needed :

Occasionally needed:

Based on what work you need done, I will tell you what I need.

phpBB 3 Support

In December 2007, phpBB 3 was released. I will now offer modification and troubleshooting services for phpBB 3.

I can also install phpBB 3 on your system or port a generic installation of phpBB 2 using the prosilver and subsilver2 styles and without modifications for you to phpBB 3. Please contact me if you would like my assistance.

phpBB 2.x to 3.x Upgrading Services

Now that phpBB 3 has been released, many forum owners want to convert their phpBB 2 board to phpBB 3.

If your board is small, you have the most recent version of phpBB 2 installed (version 2.0.23) and you are using defaults, you may want to try it upgrading yourself. Complete instructions can be found on the phpBB site.

However, if you have modifications to your forum, or you haven't upgraded it to the latest version of phpBB 2, or you have installed lots of extra smilies and avatars then you may wish to have me perform an upgrade professionally.

Please contact me for pricing. Pricing depends on a number the factors below. The minimum price is $30. Please let me know:

phpBB Digest Installation and Support

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Where can I learn more about the Digest Mod?

I have a digests page with detailed information about the mod as well as instructions for downloading and installing the digest mod. If you have the inclination you may be able to install it yourself. Or you can have me install it for you for a fixed fee, which is generally $35.

  1. Does your digest mod work with phpBB 3?

Yes. See the digests page for more information.

  1. Why do you charge to install this modification?

I charge because installing it takes quite a bit of my limited time and it is not a simple modification to install. phpBB has no ability to "wake itself up". To send a digest your server has to wake up periodically and send out digests. Servers running Unix or Linux typically do this with the "cron" utility. Instructions are provided in all versions, but are often daunting to those without the requisite computer skills. Those without them or who choose to spend their time in more worthwhile endeavors can choose to hire me.

  1. How much do you charge for installation?

See my price list below. All prices are in U.S. dollars. The price assumes a fairly recent version of phpBB version 3. Earlier versions may need to be upgraded before the digest software can be installed. An upgrade costs $20.

A basic installation assumes your board is using one of the default styles. For phpBB 2 this is subsilver. If you are using some other style the customizing style work is extra. Customizing a style does not include creating any images needed to match your style to show the Digests link as an image. You must supply it or allow a text link to be linked somewhere.

Digest Version

 Base Price Customize Style (additional) Operating System

Upgrade phpBB prior to install

(needed if not using a recent release of phpBB)

Database Yearly Maintenance (optional)
Linux or Unix (extra)

Windows Server
(extra)

MySQL (extra) Postgres (extra)

MS SQL Server (extra)

Oracle (extra) Access (extra)
Current
$35
$10
$0
$10
$20
$0
$5
$5
$10
$5
$20
  1. What support if any comes with installation?

For a period of 30 days from the date of installation I will answer questions or troubleshoot problems related to the digest installation.

  1. How fast can you do an installation for my site?

Ask me. I do this as a favor to the phpBB community. I have a full time job and other responsibilities that tend to come first. I try to do installations on weekends. If I have jobs queued ahead of yours I will give you an idea when it the installation will occur.

  1. How long does an installation take?

It takes about 24 hours. It really depends. The process is much simpler than it used to be because the mod is AutoMod compliant and includes UMIL integration. Typically the only hard part is programming the cron job, and even that is getting easier. Each installation is tested using the automated process to ensure it is behaving correctly.

  1. What does "yearly maintenance" buy?

If a new version comes out within a 13 months of your installation date, I will install it for you. (Note: one month of maintenance comes free with installation and is priced into the 13 months.) I will also answer questions and troubleshoot digest related problems during this time. I will not troubleshoot problems which are clear to me are not related to the digest software, such as another phpBB modification you installed that is giving you problems. You can purchase another year of maintenance a year later if you want.

  1. Can I buy maintenance later?

Yes. The maintenance will be good for 12 month starting from the day of purchase. If there is a new version available when you purchase maintenance, I will install it.

  1. What do you need from me to install the software?

See What I Need From You above. A digest installation is the most complex installation I do, so I need all of this information.

Oh yeah, I also need payment.

  1. Do you offer a money back guarantee?

If I cannot fully install your software I will refund your money and do my best to restore your site as it was before I modified it.

phpBB Smartfeed Installation and Support

Smartfeed is a modification I wrote that provides RSS 1.0, RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0 newsfeeds of your phpBB forums. See this phpBB topic for more details or to download, or see the interface here.

At this time an approved version for phpBB 3 is available. More information is available on my Smartfeed page.

The good news is that Smartfeed is simple to install and only minimally changes phpBB. Moreover, it is AutoMOD and UMIL compliant, making installation pretty simple if you have AutoMOD installed and can use FTP. Since it operates independently of the phpBB source code, you may want to install it yourself by downloading it from the Smartfeed page.

Pricing

A basic installation assumes your board is using one of the default styles. For phpBB 3 this is prosilver and subsilver2. If you are using some other style the customizing style work is extra. Customizing a style does not include creating any images needed to show the Smartfeed link as an image. You must supply it or allow a text link to be linked somewhere.

Install Smartfeed

Customize style (additional) Operating System Database Yearly Maintenance (optional)
Linux or Unix (extra)

Windows Server
(extra)

MySQL (extra) Postgres (extra)

MS SQL Server (extra)

Oracle (extra) Access (extra)
for phpBB3 $15
$10
$0
$5
$0
$5
$5
$10
$5
$10
for phpBB2
$15
$10
$0
$5
$0
$5
$5
$10
$5
$10

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What does "yearly maintenance" buy?

If a new version comes out within a 13 months of your installation date, I will install it for you. (Note: one month of maintenance comes free with installation.) I will also answer questions and troubleshoot Smartfeed related problems during this time. I will not troubleshoot problems which are clear to me are not related to the Smartfeed software, such as another phpBB modification you later installed or upgraded that is giving you problems. However, I do offer separately priced general phpBB maintenance. You can purchase another year of maintenance a year later if you want.

  1. Can I buy maintenance later?

Yes. The maintenance will be good for 12 month starting from the day of purchase. If there is a new version available when you purchase maintenance, I will install it.

  1. Do you offer a money back guarantee?

In the highly unlikely event that I cannot fully install your software I will refund your money.

phpBB Installation Services

phpBB is powerful and sophisticated forum software that is free and open source. phpBB 3 is now the only approved and supported version of phpBB. It became official in December 2007. I can install either phpBB 2 or phpBB 3 for you. Since phpBB 2 is somewhat old and not well supported, phpBB 3 is recommended.

phpBB is written to run using PHP, a powerful scripting language installed by default on virtually all non-Windows hosted web servers. You may wish to see if yours does. Installing phpBB on a web host can be confusing without skills in FTP, editing files on the server and setting up a database. If you choose, I can install and configure your phpBB forum.

Before contracting with me to do the work, see if your host's control panel has a script center. Some such as Fantastico can install phpBB for you. Such tools though are quite limited. For example, you may be stuck with the standard subSilver2 or proSilver style, and prefer something different. I can help you install styles of your choice, your set of smilies and icons, as well as any phpBB modifications you may want above the standard installation.

If you would like me to do the installation I need the following information:

Pricing

phpBB Installation on your site with up to a total of three choices total of Styles, Smilies, Rank Images, etc.

Operating System Database Add Anti spam Mods (special for phpBB 2) Add Attachment Mod (special for phpBB 2) Extra Themes, Emoticons, Rank Images etc. (extra) Install Additional phpBB Mods Yearly maintenance for a simple board (optional)
Linux or Unix (extra)

Windows Server
(extra)

MySQL (extra) Postgres (extra)

MS SQL Server (extra)

Oracle (extra) Access (extra)
$25
$0
$10
$0
$5
$5
$10
$5
$30
$15
$5 each
See below for general pricing
See the Maintenance and Troubleshooting section for pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How long does an installation take?

For a simple installation, it takes generally no more than a couple hours, once I get started, and providing I have from you the correct information. It may take a day or two to get the information needed to make the install and actually install it. I prefer to do this work on the weekends. If there are lots of modifications and themes, it may take a few days. Some of the modifications are very complex to install.

  1. Do you offer a money back guarantee?

In the highly unlikely event that I cannot fully install your software I will refund your money and put your web space back to the condition I found it.

  1. Is there a warranty?

I will troubleshoot problems for a period of 30 days, should they occur.

  1. Will you maintain my site after 30 days?

For a fee. See the next section below. You can pay for maintenance at the time of installation.

phpBB Rehosting Services

If you are outgrowing your web host and need a new one but you also want to move your phpBB forum intact, I may be able to help. Note that phpBB provides a help topic on how to do this, so you may want to try this yourself. phpBB also has guidance for moving your phpBB 2 board to another host. In any event it is not a trivial process. Particularly if your board is heavily modded you may want to have it done professionally. I have done this for a number of clients and have moved my own boards several times.

Unfortunately I cannot price the work until I understand what is involved in your particular situation. The minimum rehosting price is $50.

If you haven't decided on a new web host yet...

Here are some guidelines that will help in the migration process. Look for a web host that can provide these capabilities:

Recommendation: if you can afford it, look into MediaTemple.net. For relatively uncomplicated database driven sites that are not too busy the Grid Service is fine. I use the Dedicated Virtual Service for my many domains. MediaTemple has proven to be a very reliable web host for my general needs.

Here are some attributes to look for in a new web host based on my experience:

If your board is highly trafficked (500+ messages per day) you should consider leasing your own server (dedicated hosting) or at least going with a virtual private server solution. As you may expect this can be quite expensive but at least your users are not competing with other domains for access to the same web server. Most web hosts provide dedicated hosting. One example is Rackspace.

Virtual hosting may have other disadvantages that get manifested over time. For example, since everyone on the same server has the same web server settings, the default settings (such as the Apache timeout) may not need your needs.

A happy medium between dedicated hosting and virtual hosting may be virtual private servers. With virtual private servers you still share the same physical server with other domains. However you have absolute control over your own domain because your operating system instance is virtualized. Virtual private servers though can suffer from the same problem as virtually hosted servers: too many domains are placed on the same server. You might want to shop for a virtual private server based on the criteria they use for placing hosts on a server. Generally virtual private servers require a higher degree of comfort level with "server side stuff" like Unix. They tend to cost about four times the cost of virtual server hosting. Web host claims may differ from their actual practices.

With a true virtual dedicated server, the operating system will guarantee you a dedicated share of memory and server resources. Naturally, these sorts of solutions tend to cost more. Check with web hosts that claim they offer virtual dedicated servers if they offer these features. If they don't, they are really virtual private servers.

If your board is lightly used and lightly modified a virtually hosted solution such as are available at Site5 may be sufficient. Beware that with these lower cost services you or your users may notice long waits on occasion for pages to return or you may have to troubleshoot some puzzling issues associated with having many domains on one machine.

What I need to price your rehosting

What I need to actually do rehosting

See What I Need From You. Generally, I need ALL privileges to both your new and old board to rehost.

Rehosting procedures

These are generally the steps I follow to rehost.

  1. Verify that I have the accesses I need on the current and new web hosts
  2. Copy over your current phpBB software (with mods) intact and install on new host. This way if you have mods, unusual styles, etc. I don't lose any functionality.
  3. Export your database and move it over to see if I can get it working at all on the new host in a "test" mode. Sometimes the export available in the phpBB control panel will suffice. For larger databases I usually have to go into MySQL itself and dump your database to a file, which is why I need SSH access.
  4. Create a new database on the new host.
  5. Configure the new host config.php and related files to work with the new database
  6. Verify that it looks and behave the same. I will have you verify it.
  7. When you are satisfied:
    1. Disable the current board
    2. Export the database as a final snapshot and move it into the database on the new host
    3. Have you move the domain from the old host to the new host using your registrar, if it hasn't been done already

Once the domain switches everything should appear the same to your users. Generally it takes at least a few hours to propagate a change to the domain. It is better to assume a full day for the switchover.

As you can see this process is time consuming and somewhat cumbersome. The whole thing can easily take a couple days in a typical case.

phpBB Maintenance and Troubleshooting Services

phpBB Maintenance

Upgrading phpBB 3 on your own is a lot easier than upgrading phpBB 2. The process for upgrading with the automated update package is described here. If your board is only lightly modified and you are using standard styles you might want to try it yourself. Make sure you fully back up your files and database before attempting to upgrade!

The automated update package is trickier than it sounds, as you have to be able to assess file changes and render a judgment on whether to merge, allow or disallow a change. In addition, you often have to download a package of file changes then FTP them back to your server.

You may prefer to have upgrades done professionally. The cost depends on how many modifications you have and active templates you are using. The following prices are estimates:

An audit of your site is needed to give you an accurate estimate. Essentially this means I download the files from your site (I don't download any data) and compare it with files for your version of phpBB to see what how much you deviate from the standard. I will need FTP permissions to perform the audit.

The price does not include moving your site to a new major version of phpBB. For example, if phpBB moved from 3.0.x to 3.2, the price would not reflect the upgrade cost. However, once I have determined a cost for the move, I can credit your account for the difference. For example, if phpBB version 3.2 is released and you want to upgrade, and I determine the cost is $50 for your board to upgrade you to a major version, and you have a contract worth $80 a year and are 6 months into the contract, I can credit $40 toward the cost of the upgrade. This would make your net cost $10, however if you subsequently wanted maintenance you would then need to purchase a new maintenance contract.

Upgrades are usually done within a couple weeks of a release of a new version. Unless you tell me otherwise, I will assume I can do an upgrade at a time that suits me. I cannot always accommodate unusual times for doing upgrades, such as during the middle of the night or on weekends. Some minimal amount of downtime is needed for an upgrade. In many cases it is only a matter of minutes, and only rarely takes an hour or longer.

phpBB Troubleshooting

Sometimes you just need a hired gun to go in and fix some sort of nasty problem that has emerged. I will assess the problem for free and give you an estimate of what it would cost for me to fix it. My labor rate is $25 per hour or fraction thereof. If I agree to do the work and it takes more time than the fee we agreed on, I will not charge you extra for it. I cannot necessarily solve all problems, but I can figure out most of them.

phpBB Modification Installation

I generally use the author's guidelines on how easy the modification is to install. $15 for easy mods, $25 for moderate mods and $35 for complex mods. However, sometimes mod author's aren't quite as candid as they should be. So I will do a reality check on it by looking at its installation instructions and price it accordingly.

Please note: while I will install a mod and do my best to get it to work in your environment, I am not the mod author so I cannot guarantee I will be able to get it to function properly in your environment. Caveat emptor. In general, I only install official phpBB mods.

phpBB Customizations

I can also create custom phpBB modifications to meet your specific needs. Pricing of course depends on your requirements. Customizations, unless I have done similar work before, tend to be pricier and generally start around $50.

A number of users have seen my phpBB web site and are impressed by the clever things I have done to it. Some of the customizations I have done for clients include:

What I can do is only limited by your imagination, my time and your wallet. However, there may already be a modification out there to do what you want done. I try not to reinvent the wheel where all possible.

Contact me for pricing.

Other PHP Work

While I specialize in phpBB, I am often capable of installing and troubleshooting other PHP applications. Feel free to write me and describe your project and I will be glad to tell you my comfort level with the work and if I agree to do it, an estimate. I can install many PHP applications for you. I am quite familiar with Wordpress and have installed Wordpress and added themes and plug-ins to it many times. Contact me for availability and pricing.

Updated March 11, 2010