Why the Forum still has the Old School Vibe & Look?

[Cypra]

Hello fellow bitcoiners & Forum Members. I'm a crypto enthuasist since 2015 , If I recall correctly the first time I had learnt about bitcoin the price was  around $3500-$4000/BTC. That time the community of Bitcoin was not that spread like today, so I would hardly find someone to talk about it.

I joined on forum recently, previously I had engagement with X , reddit , Meta. So I'm wondering why this forum still has the Old School vibe. Like back in 2010-2013 we had this types of forums a lot, since than technology advanced a lot. Forums Adopted technology with it, but this one forum still has previous vibe. Why Admins didn't changed the forum. Even I saw some member's are updating some forums statistics manually , which could have done automated.

I'm just curious about it 

[notocactus]

That time the community of Bitcoin was not that spread like today, so I would hardly find someone to talk about it.

When community was smaller in the past, the biggest community you could find and join for Bitcoin discussions is Bitcoi forum, this one.

I joined on forum recently, previously I had engagement with X , reddit , Meta.

More surprised that you did not join this forum in the past with less noisy social media platforms like now.

So I'm wondering why this forum still has the Old School vibe. Like back in 2010-2013 we had this types of forums a lot, since than technology advanced a lot. Forums Adopted technology with it, but this one forum still has previous vibe. Why Admins didn't changed the forum.

Simple. The forum community loves this design.

There was attempts and resources spent for Epochtalk software but it was stopped months ago.
No longer pursue Epochtalk.

[LoyceV]

You may want to read No longer pursuing Epochtalk.

I joined on forum recently, previously I had engagement with X , reddit , Meta. So I'm wondering why this forum still has the Old School vibe. Like back in 2010-2013 we had this types of forums a lot, since than technology advanced a lot.

It's funny how you mention large corporate money makers as examples of advanced technology. We here on Bitcointalk don't want algorithms to tell us what we can read.

[shield132]

Hello fellow bitcoiners & Forum Members. I'm a crypto enthuasist since 2015 , If I recall correctly the first time I had learnt about bitcoin the price was  around $3500-$4000/BTC. That time the community of Bitcoin was not that spread like today, so I would hardly find someone to talk about it.

I joined on forum recently, previously I had engagement with X , reddit , Meta. So I'm wondering why this forum still has the Old School vibe. Like back in 2010-2013 we had this types of forums a lot, since than technology advanced a lot. Forums Adopted technology with it, but this one forum still has previous vibe. Why Admins didn't changed the forum. Even I saw some member's are updating some forums statistics manually , which could have done automated.

I'm just curious about it 

Long story short, tell yourself that Bitcointalk is a digital museum and it's saved in its original form. Sadly, this forum isn't upgraded, it's 2025 and the forum is not still responsive for smartphones. As I see, theymos doesn't have much time to dedicate to the development of this forum and he decided to keep it as it is, he stopped accepting advertisements on this forum and uses forum funds to pay for servers.
Despite the fact that this forum technologically feels very degraded, I can assure you that it has a great community and lots of talented members. The work of Loycev, TryNinja, bitmover and other forum members prove that this forum is exceptional despite its very old design and features.

[Doan9269]

I joined on forum recently, previously I had engagement with X , reddit , Meta. So I'm wondering why this forum still has the Old School vibe. Like back in 2010-2013 we had this types of forums a lot, since than technology advanced a lot. Forums Adopted technology with it, but this one forum still has previous vibe. Why Admins didn't changed the forum. Even I saw some member's are updating some forums statistics manually , which could have done automated.

Maybe you need to see this one first

Bitcointalk's important historic changes
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5186820.0

Also, do you know how easy it has been to maintain a large and well moderated community like this, how it has been surviving series of attempts related to attacks, how it keeps running and other changes that has been implemented but you're not aware of.

Maybe you should not compare bitcointalk to other social media platforms, because they serve different purpose.

[stwenhao]

Why the Forum still has the Old School Vibe & Look?

Because there is no need to change it. However, if you want to see more "modern" design, then there are also places like that: https://delvingbitcoin.org/

Also, if the only thing you don't like, is the way of presenting things, then it can be changed on the client-side. Because if the content is good, but the only complain is about "old school UI", then it can be personalized, and rendered with some new UI engines.

And there are many crawlers, that can give you exactly the same content, but in a different form. For example: https://ninjastic.space/search?topic_id=5565311

Which means, that it is just a matter of writing a browser plugin, or a crawler, which will give you exactly the same content, but present it in a different way.

[Mahiyammahi]

Imagine Satoshi had returned and don't recognize his own forum😁. How Theymos would explain this. Jokes Aprt Theymos tried to built a new software to adapt the forum new looks but it had the full of bugs he decided to left the project. Also this forum is the proof of Bitcoins existence, proof of Satoshis existence.
Welcome to the forum, you could meet lot's of legends here. I like the forum as it is right now, also forum is rn not generating any revenue so adopting it with social media structure could lead mess.

[Myleschetty]

Bitcointalk, which prioritizes decentralization and legacy, cannot be compared to social media, which is an algorithm driven centralized platform that abuses user data. Aligning with the forum's legacy and decentralization is more important than simply changing this forum's appearance, features, and design.

[EarnOnVictor]

I joined on forum recently, previously I had engagement with X , reddit , Meta. So I'm wondering why this forum still has the Old School vibe. Like back in 2010-2013 we had this types of forums a lot, since than technology advanced a lot. Forums Adopted technology with it, but this one forum still has previous vibe. Why Admins didn't changed the forum. Even I saw some member's are updating some forums statistics manually , which could have done automated.

Maybe you need to see this one first

Bitcointalk's important historic changes
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5186820.0

Sure, Bitcointalk has made efforts in the past to make some changes, and it's still making changes, but this can't be compared to what the OP is referring to. If you are familiar with the modern forums, you wouldn't think twice. The forum should sync better and be self-sufficient in many capabilities instead of using third-party websites and bridges/substitutes. All it needs is new software or an entire overhaul of the current one to expand its capabilities. Not patching.

Also, do you know how easy it has been to maintain a large and well moderated community like this, how it has been surviving series of attempts related to attacks, how it keeps running and other changes that has been implemented but you're not aware of.

That's not the point. Every forum puts out efforts too. Surely, Bitcointalk has a lot to be praised for, but at the same time, what is due is due, and there's no substitute for that. I noticed what the OP stated the very first time I came across the forum, and I am sure that attempts were made to do the needful. A good proof is this: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5528745.0. This shows that even the admin knows what is right, but there are constraints.

[KingsDen]

You may want to read No longer pursuing Epochtalk.

I joined on forum recently, previously I had engagement with X , reddit , Meta. So I'm wondering why this forum still has the Old School vibe. Like back in 2010-2013 we had this types of forums a lot, since than technology advanced a lot.

It's funny how you mention large corporate money makers as examples of advanced technology. We here on Bitcointalk don't want algorithms to tell us what we can read.

Anyday I wake up and discover that this forum has lost this beautiful and calm look, I will leave the forum. Ironically, when I was new here, I clamoured for Mobile App, enhanced graphics and collection just like other social media. But as I grew these years, I discovered that what we have is gold. In the future, here would be regarded as a global mesuem for retaining the old vibe OP referred to.

[vapourminer]

So I'm wondering why this forum still has the Old School vibe.

cant speak for others but i like the simplistic, almost BBS look as its largely static - no banners, animations or other distracting junk vying for your attention.

[Lucius]

Hello fellow bitcoiners & Forum Members. I'm a crypto enthuasist since 2015 , If I recall correctly the first time I had learnt about bitcoin the price was  around $3500-$4000/BTC. That time the community of Bitcoin was not that spread like today, so I would hardly find someone to talk about it.

According to what you wrote, it took you about 2 years to find out about Bitcoin because the price you mention only became a reality in 2017. I wonder what you've been doing for so long as a crypto enthusiast...?

I joined on forum recently, previously I had engagement with X , reddit , Meta. So I'm wondering why this forum still has the Old School vibe.
~snip~

Why is appearance more important than content to some people? I don't like all those modern platforms where half of the "users" are bots, and the other half are real people who shouldn't have access to the internet considering the nonsense they post.

[Cryptohygenic]

Too many junks in the social media that is almost like a playground with the platforms being monetized for the benefits of the officials and lacking proper moderations to prioritize fairness like the above mentioned full of bugs.
Technology only seem necessary to be advanced when the existing modern can no longer be efficiently sustainable with the current era. So Op, what do you proposed should be changed with the bitcointalk? You are probably not conversant with this bitcointalk forum yet because of you do, you would gladly recommend here to be the best to discuss about bitcoin with it modernity. I am also sure you are not aware of the extension tools incorporation with the bitcointalk platform all just to keep it features moderate.

[Fiasem20]

I joined this forum last year,and I don't have an idea if the forum still retains it design from old.Maybe the reason why the administrator of this forum doesn't what to change the design into another one is because he loves the design the way it is and it wouldn't be necessary to change it like the way other social media platforms are changing theirs and there's one thing to know that the platform is one of the active forum where there are active discussions about bitcoin.It is obvious that the community has grown larger than when it was created that alone shows a whole lot of changes.In my own opinion,the community is pretty comfortable with it's old design.

[Hatchy]

Powered by simple forum machine, and it's indeed quite simple. There's nothing to change about the forum, I was going through the proposed new forum software and honestly it would have not given us that same vibes like this version of the forum. So many good people have gone through their ways to make sure the forum can be easily access. We have add-on and some extensions created by members of the forum and they as well are quite interesting.

[Mia Chloe]

~snip

Well, actually after a lot of pressure from forum members on the administratiors, they initially decided to change to a new forum software but it didn't work out even if a lot was spent on it. It was eventually discontinued . Let's just say Satoshi left it with us this way and there's no need for huge UI UX mods.

With time you'll get to like the forum this way and advantage of this SMF format is it makes the forum light weight on your end so it's relatively way easier to load up pages.

[0x000369]

I kinda like that Bitcointalk kept its original look tbh It feels raw and authentic like stepping into a piece of internet history that’s still alive every other platform these days is full of flashy designs, ads, and algorithms deciding what you should see next here it’s just straight-up discussions no distractions sure the UI might feel outdated if you’re coming from Reddit or X but that’s also what keeps it pure It’s lightweight works on any old browser and it’s not trying to “monetize engagement.” You come here because you actually want to read and talk about Bitcoin not because an algorithm pushed a trending post at you.

It’s kind of poetic that one of the oldest forums in crypto still runs on the same simple structure that helped Bitcoin’s early community grow it’s part of the legacy now.

[vapourminer]

ideally this forum should be usable with a text only browser like lynx or something.

and as a btc information source this is all thats needed.

[Cypra]

Bitcointalk, which prioritizes decentralization and legacy, cannot be compared to social media, which is an algorithm driven centralized platform that abuses user data. Aligning with the forum's legacy and decentralization is more important than simply changing this forum's appearance, features, and design.

Is it decentralized? Forum has an administrator, he can handle everything and implement everything if he would have wanted to . So forum itself isn't decentralized.

Well, actually after a lot of pressure from forum members on the administratiors, they initially decided to change to a new forum software but it didn't work out even if a lot was spent on it. It was eventually discontinued . Let's just say Satoshi left it with us this way and there's no need for huge UI UX mods.

Yeah I just saw the thread about it provided by the administrator himself. I would loved to try the beta phase but I was not in there that time.

So Op, what do you proposed should be changed with the bitcointalk? You are probably not conversant with this bitcointalk forum yet because of you do, you would gladly recommend here to be the best to discuss about bitcoin with it modernity. I am also sure you are not aware of the extension tools incorporation with the bitcointalk platform all just to keep it features moderate.

A live chat option, to see who is active rn. Compatible with mobile devices , Some statistics which we need to use some tools to see should implement on the forum , for now these implement and change would be most logical as for now.

[KingsDen]

ideally this forum should be usable with a text only browser like lynx or something.

and as a btc information source this is all thats needed.

All that is need is what we have.
According to LoyceV, we don't need algorithm to detect to us what we read. Imagine where Algorithm has to suggest to me only Lou's posts because of the number of his merits. Or vapourminer's post because I once mentioned "good merit sharing habits"