Is Dolphin Good?

Hi,

I am considering buying a license for Dolphin, but the few reviews I have read about Dolphins are not encouraging.  I wanted to ask you, user of Dolphin, the following questions so I can make an inform decision:

1.  Is it true that Dolphin is poorly programmed?

2. Is it true that Dolphin developer's focus is adding features rather than fixing bugs to existing features?

3. Is Dolphin secure?  I have read some postings here about some sites being hacked.

4. Is there any other software comparable to Dolphin?

Thank you for your help!

Alex

dolphin is the best you will ever find, IF  what you are looking for is flexibility and freedom. if it is customization you are after then dolphin is the only way to go.. my opinion

1) Coding method is advanced. Many have problems understanding it. No. I do not believe it is poor.
2) No. Bugs are worked on regularly. Can be verified in trac.
3) Yes. Most problems are with insecure servers. The few holes that have been found have been plugged.
4) No.

And you do not need a licence. Dolphin is free. A licence is only required if you wish to remove the boonex copywrite footers or to obtain licences for the Mobile apps to rebrand. Dolphin is 100% operational without a license or a free license to shut up the prompt for a licence.

Alex,

I'll sure you'll get lots of different answers to these questions but here's my opinion:

(Short Version)

1. No

2. Yes

3. Mostly

4. Yes

(Long Version)

1. It is a VERY complex piece of software and it's evolving all the time.. but I wouldn't say it's poorly programmed. Most of the problems people have are because their server isn't setup correctly or they are trying to use some horrible free hosting.

2. I would have to agree with this one. With each new version they add all sorts of new bells and whistles and a lot of them really aren't needed. (but the bugs ARE fixed)

3. Dolphin has had some vulnerablities over the years but so has phpbb, wordpress and every other piece of software. They have always fixed them in the next update. Most of the recent hackings have been on one hosting company that has their servers setup incorrectly. (just like question #1)

4. Yes... lots.. some you install yourself, some you have to use on their server. If you google social networking software you'll find plenty of them. Dolphin's still my favorite.

First of all, a license is not required.  You can continue to use Dolphin without limitations.

1. I'm not a programmer, so I can't really answer this one.  (Edit: See above!).
2. Far from it.  The recent releases have been bug and security fixes.  Some features have been added as needed, and the new modules from some releases ago were bought from developers, so not a lot of work was required to add them.
3. You should be fine as long as you upgrade Dolphin as needed.  Most people complaining about being hacked are from insecure computers and compromised FTP accounts.  BoonEx does announce security fixes and releases the actual details of these problems a month after the patch has been available.
4. Feature-wise?  Sure, but none of them are free.  Most serious competing products require a paid license and have "feature packs" where additional features found in core Dolphin cost extra.

Edit: I'm late!  See above for the Great and Powerful Deano.

It's free to use without a license so best you try it yourself.

The questions you asked have been answered and I agree with the answers. 

I would suggest though give it a proper test drive (proper meaning not over night!)

Due to the flexibility of Dolphin, it does have LOTS on offer on the basic installation. 

This means a bit of moving menu items, page blocks around, and activating - de-activating some of the default modules that come for free, in order to get the site geared up for how you want it to be. 

Then, you may have some market modules to buy if you want something a bit more specific that default install does not offer. 

Use the forums, ask questions, mostly we're a friendly bunch!

I've built lots of DOlphin sites over the last few years, and for social networking based sites, its way out there as my choice of script. 

Give it a free drive, see how it works for you.

Feel free to ask any questions :-)

An unbiased opinion from a newbie:

Dolphin was developed as a social media platform. It is the most complete package I could find (and I spend 18+ months looking) with a multitude of add on’s.

My problem is that I am not interested in a social media (dating) site. I am developing a classifieds site and due to the complexity of dolphin combined with my lack of experience it has been a grueling task. That said, the support here and the options available have made dolphin my preferred choice. That and the opportunity to develop a website without restriction (other that the Boonex footer) for free (in case the site fails miserably) was a big decider for me.