I just realized that, while people can complain and moan about these forums, they're actually so much better than most other forums. Here are some of the problems frequently encountered in those places, and how they are fixed here...
Signatures can be annoying, but also interesting at times -> signatures are pm/profile only. So you only see them when you want to see them.
Strict moderators (god, how many good forums ruined by this.) -> only two or three moderators who are very fair.
Message box running out of room... -> unlimited inbox size
Et cetera.