We've been waiting for Jelsoft to release vBulletin 3.8.0 final before releasing our next batch of updates, but unfortunately Jelsoft are taking longer than we hoped (I'm sure it will be worth the wait) so we thought we'd tell you about them now.

We've been very busy for the 3.8.0 release, cleaning lots of things up to make sure our vBulletin skins are up to scratch. One of the new things we've introduced is an automatic build process. This means updates take about half the time, and the automation makes sure no human-error is made. It also means there's no more unnecessary global variables (except the ones that allow you to easily customise your vBulletin skin). We've also, yet again, been testing out many different vBulletin plug-ins and modifications to make sure our skins work seamlessly with them.

We're also in the process of testing an automatic update system, which (if it works) will make updates an absolute breeze! We're very excited about this!

We've also prepared a couple of treats for the vBulletin community... which will be well worth the wait

We want to make sure all our skins are as good as they can be. That's why we're introducing a new scheme. To encourage our customers to let us know about bugs, we're offering free skins to the top bug finders. This is a pilot run, so we're not sure on how many winners there will be and what runner-up prizes there will be. If it goes well, we hope to make it a regular thing with all updates/new skins.

The competition wont start until vBulletin 3.8 gold is released, and will only include bugs found in our latest skin versions. Bugs must also be a bug and not a design choice you disagree with (although we'll still see what we can do). Please also provide detailed information including any specific browsers or plugins that may affect the skin. Bugs caused by 3rd party plugins will still count as a valid bug, unless it's something completely out of our control. Post your bugs in the 'vBulletin skins' category.

So get hunting!