Invision A trip down memory lane: The Evolution of Invision Community

[Cedric]

For many of us who have grown up alongside online communities, Invision Community (formerly Invision Power Board) holds a special place in our hearts. From its humble beginnings as a spinoff of the ikonboard days to becoming one of the most polished community solutions on the web, the journey of Invision Communityis truly a remarkable one that holds innovation and perseverance. I welcome you to enjoy this trip down memory lane - at the end of this post, I've included a bunch of links from the web archive.

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ikonboard: The Roots of Invision​

Before Invision, there was ikonboard, an open-source Perl-based forum software created by Matt Mecham in 1999. It quickly gained traction due to its simplicity and accessibility, becoming a popular choice for early forum administrators. However, as demand for more robust and feature-rich solutions grew, ikonboard’s limitations became evident, particularly with scalability and speed.

This set the stage for a new project - one that would redefine forum software. In 2002, Matt Mecham and Charles Warner left ikonboard to develop Invision Board (IBF), and with it, a new chapter began.

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Invision Board: The Birth of a Legend​

The first version of Invision Board (IBF 1.0) was released in early 2002. Written in PHP and MySQL, it brought a refreshing modernity to forum software. Early adopters raved about its clean interface, lightning-fast performance, and groundbreaking features like user groups and a robust admin control panel. The forums on IBForums.com quickly became the hub for this growing community.

Version 1.1 followed later that year, improving on stability and adding features that appealed to larger forums. By the time Invision Board 1.3 rolled around in 2003, the software had already cemented its place as a strong competitor to phpBB and vBulletin.

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Invision Power Board: Taking It to the Next Level​

In late 2003, Invision Board was rebranded as Invision Power Board (IPB) under the newly formed Invision Power Services (IPS). This shift marked a transition from free software to a commercial product with a free trial option. While some users lamented the end of a fully free solution, the move allowed IPS to scale operations and invest in development.

The 2.x series became synonymous with stability and power. IPB 2.0, released in 2004, introduced features like custom profile fields and an enhanced moderation system. Over the next few years, versions 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3 iterated on these foundations, refining user experience and adding features like AJAX-driven elements for seamless interactions.

A nostalgic glance at archived IPB forums showcases the vibrant community that thrived during this era, with admins and developers exchanging tips, customizations, and feedback.

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InvisionFree: Forums for the Masses​

For me, no trip down memory lane would be complete without mentioning InvisionFree, a service that brought the power of Invision Board to admins who couldn’t afford hosting or licensing fees. Launched in 2002, InvisionFree allowed users to create fully hosted forums for free, based on a modified version of Invision Board.

For many budding admins, InvisionFree was a gateway to the world of forum management. It offered the perfect mix of simplicity and customization, with pre-installed features, a growing library of themes, and a supportive community. It thrived alongside its paid counterpart, becoming a hub for niche communities - everything from fan groups to role-playing forums.

Over time, InvisionFree evolved into ZetaBoards in 2007, introducing a sleeker interface and more modern features. However, in 2018, it was retired and merged with Tapatalk, marking the end of an era. Despite this, InvisionFree holds a special place in the hearts like mine and of those who started their admin journey there, offering them their first taste of building something meaningful online.

If you started your forum on InvisionFree, you were part of a movement that democratized online communities. It’s a legacy that still resonates, proving that great things often start small and free.

This legacy now continues to live on with Jcink.

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The Rise of Invision Community​

In 2010, IPS pivoted again, evolving the platform into a comprehensive community solution called Invision Power Suite (IPS Community Suite). By bundling forums with apps like blogs, galleries, and e-commerce solutions, IPS empowered communities to go beyond simple discussions.

The 4.x series, launched in 2014, represented another major leap. Rebranded as Invision Community, this version brought a unified architecture, responsive design, and API integrations. From small niche forums to enterprise-level communities, Invision Community catered to all.

Today, you’ll find its forums alive and well on invisioncommunity.com, a far cry from the minimalist layouts of its early days. But beneath the polished exterior lies the same ethos: empowering admins to create meaningful spaces.

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A Legacy That Lives On​

The journey of Invision Community is more than just an inspiring story of software. From ikonboard’s early adopters to IPB enthusiasts who customized their forums with endless mods and skins, to modern admins harnessing advanced tools for their communities, Invision has been a constant companion.

For those of us who’ve spent late nights tweaking settings, troubleshooting errors, and delighting in every new feature, this journey down memory lane reminds us why we fell in love with building communities in the first place.

Here’s to Invision’s legacy - and to the admins who’ve kept it alive for over two decades.

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More web archive links:

https://web.archive.org/web/20020325085805/http://ibforums.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20020610075954/http://www.ibforums.com/forums/
https://web.archive.org/web/20021124212316/http://forums.invisionboard.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20040323063930/http://www.forums.invisionboard.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20050308184514/http://forums.invisionboard.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20060902212452/http://forums.invisionpower.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20070102123734/http://forums.invisionpower.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20070430052929/http://forums.invisionpower.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20070630201946/http://forums.invisionpower.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20080507025807/http://forums.invisionpower.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20090419155853/http://forums.invisionpower.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20170603093322/https://invisioncommunity.com/forums/
https://web.archive.org/web/20171003221853/https://invisioncommunity.com/forums/
https://web.archive.org/web/20200630164954/https://invisioncommunity.com/forums/
https://web.archive.org/web/20211201091617/https://invisioncommunity.com/forums/
https://web.archive.org/web/20220630143936/https://invisioncommunity.com/forums/


What are your favorite memories of using Invision Board? Share them below!

 

[Shawn Gossman]

A nostalgic glance at archived IPB forums showcases the vibrant community that thrived during this era, with admins and developers exchanging tips, customizations, and feedback.

That's the IPB that I remember using.

It wasn't too bad back then, either.

It's not bad now.

 

[Cloaked]

I was there for the whole ride. I had Ikonboard installed and was building an importer so I could move off UBB. Just when it got finished vBulletin was silently released. It had been talked about for a few months on the UBB forum. It was supposed to be a new version of UBB that had a mysql backend. InfoPop didn't want any part of it. The same thing happened with UBB and vBulletin that happened when xenfor came about. No actual lawsuit. UBB did an audit of the code and found no remnants of UBB code in vbulletin.

I grabbed a copy and installed on a test site. I started to convert the import script from IkonBoard. John and I talked and he had an importer already built so he gave it to me to test. We were both converting million + post forums. Importer worked perfectly.

If vbulletin was released a couple weeks later I would never had switched to vbulletin. I wound up on IPB after the vbulletin 4 fiasco.

 

[beta]

InvisionFree brings back a lot of memories. There were so many great communities that covered almost everything you could want.

 

[CTS]

I still have all the zip files for installation from ikon on forward. Can't run them on anything, but I'm a packrat.

 

[Cedric]

I still have all the zip files for installation from ikon on forward. Can't run them on anything, but I'm a packrat.

I’ve got 1.3, 2.0. 2.2.2. Installed 1.3 on my server, but it has a few database problems. It’s been patched recently to work with php 7.4 to even 8. But it still needs some work.