Hi everyone,
If the site looks different, that’s because we’ve moved from XenForo to Discourse, and more importantly, we’ve made the forum the center of the site. The old front-facing homepage is gone. No more split between content and community. This is the site now.
This started out as a test. I wanted to see how cleanly the migration would go and whether Discourse had improved since the last time we used it. To my surprise, the import went almost flawlessly but it also took the entire day. After that kind of time, I wasn’t about to throw it away, write a big coming soon post, and then redo the whole thing from scratch.
It worked. It’s stable. So we’re keeping it.
Some of you are going to say, “But XenForo was fine.” And you’re right, it was, for what it was. But it hasn’t really moved in years. Version 2.2 came out in September 2020, and after nearly four years, 2.3 finally dropped in July 2024. The biggest additions were emoji reactions, image optimization, and minor UI tweaks. Nothing that should’ve taken four years, and nothing that changed the core experience.
Version 2.4 has been delayed well into 2026. Most of its new features (like SQLite support and backend tools) are great for developers, but offer little to the people actually using the forum. I just don’t care to keep babysitting a platform that isn’t going anywhere. It feels like repainting the same antique over and over. I’ve got better tools now, more experience and I’d rather spend that energy on something that’s evolving.
XenForo doesn’t excite me. TTI does. That’s why I’m doing this.
What Discourse Brings to TTI
Discourse opens doors we didn’t have before. Beyond the cleaner layout, better mobile support and real-time interface, it gives us modern tools, including AI features, that make the site better for you and easier for us to maintain.
You’ll see some of these right away, and more will roll out over time:
AI Integration (The Fun Stuff)
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Thread summaries:
Long or messy threads can be condensed into quick, readable overviews. -
Context-aware suggestions:
When posting, you may see prompts pointing you to related discussions. -
Post enhancement:
You’ll be able to clean up or rephrase posts before publishing with a single click. -
Spam/mod tools:
AI helps catch low-effort or problematic posts early. -
TTI-specific agents:
A site-wide AI agent trained on the full history of the Time Travel Institute is in the works. You’ll be able to ask it about John Titor, time travel theory, long-lost discussions, or specific moments from the forum’s past and get meaningful, context-aware answers without digging through years of posts. It’s designed to act like the collective memory of the site. After that, more focused agents will follow, starting with one dedicated entirely to John Titor so you can explore the lore without having to piece it together yourself.
These and other features will make the site smoother, smarter, and more fun to interact with, whether you’re a filthy casual or you’ve been here since the 90s.
Other Features Discourse Brings to TTI
Yes, XenForo had some of this—but Discourse takes some things deeper.
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Responsive layout that works properly on mobile.
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Search that actually works, even for old content.
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Categories and tags that work together for better organization (and future expansion).
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Thread summaries, slow mode, and live link previews are built in.
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Threaded private messaging that feels like an actual conversation.
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Built-in chat: We can now run live topic discussions, side channels, or group chats natively.
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Regular updates from an active dev team, with a plugin system we can actually build on.
The core of the site remains the same:
Time travel theories, claims, technology, and science live on the main boards. Fringe topics and experimental stuff live in Curious Cosmos. Keep it civil. Debate the ideas, not each other. Same as always.
If you spot broken links, formatting weirdness, or anything else out of place, post it in this thread and I’ll fix it when I can.
To the veterans:
Thanks for sticking with it through the changes. We’ve run TTI on a few platforms over the years and each move has been about trying to find the right fit. Discourse gives us a stable foundation that actually moves forward, instead of just holding things together.
To newcomers:
You showed up at the right time.
–Cosmo
