When Javaranch started there wasn't any forum software available that was based on Java technology.
Recently there have been some attempts to move to a Java solution. We've done lots of ground work on this in the past, behind the scenes, including setting up, customizing, and trying out Jive, mvnforum and to a lesser extent JForum.
That's the easy part. The hard part is (1) preserving the same atmosphere with different software, and (2) doing the actual data migration and transition without major disruption.
Now and then there is a proposal to make this a public project. It always goes the same way: Somebody complains, a staffer says it's a lot of work, somebody does a Mickey Rooney "Let's have a show in the barn!" , there's a brief discussion, then everybody disappears.
When you look at the pros and cons, moving to new software just for the sake of moving really isn't very compelling. Most of the reasons mentioned in those occasions seem to don't even begin to make up for the risks involved.
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