Lurking time Over! time to go to work! Help . . .

[Snuffy]

Hello All! Dave [SNUFFY] Smith here,

I am switching to YaBB-SE at present, have been lurking here for about 3-4 days now trying to learn a few things.
And that I have!   And now about ready to jump in with both feet and get all wet!

Here is where I am and from what I am switching to:

OLD YaBB-SP 1.3.1
On a Unix/Linux server, have ran a YaBB board for about 2 - 2 1/2 yr. under YaBB SP. Just about 1 month ago updated to 1.3.1 and cleaned all my posted messages out to only 90 days at that time, so cleaned a lot of old stuff off the server.
This setup is still up and running but will have my provider switch my DNS when I am ready with the new listed below.

NEW YaBB-SE 1.5.4
The new YaBB-SE, when I go live, will be on a win32/NT server with php and MySql, (not in safe mode).

I now have the 1.5.4 setup on the new server that my provider copied my old setup to in the site root folder as 'yabbse' folder, and can access it fine. I have setup the color changes and just about got my template ready with the colors to match my site instead of the Out-of-the-Box colors.

I have the last 4-5 hours been researching and reading all I can here on the converting of SP to SE and here is where a few questions arise before I get in too deep!  

1. Where is the best place to get the latest Converter for converting 1.3.1 SP to 1.5.4 SE?
Or is that converter not ready yet/or going to be?

I have seen a few listings here for diff versions of  converters and would like to know where the best place is to get the latest and RIGHT! converter.

2. What all does the converter convert over from SP to SE?
ie. posted thread *.dat files, User statistics, ?
Like hopefully my users won't have to log in as new and start out as newbies again!  
Does it also convert over and setup any and all areas you have on the old like the General and any others I have added to the SP version to be in the SE?

3. "IF", I did not want to use a converter can the converting be done any other way?

Or would the best thing to do if not converting be to just start it out as a totally new board and let all log in as new, and just add the areas like I have in the SP version and let them start new on the SE?

4. I also have been reading over at the SMF board a little, and am not sure that I want to go that route yet since it looks like it may be a while before it is ready. Unless you are very good at code and understand what you are doing real good, and I am not that good as I am just beginning to play with php and MySql and don't feel I know enough yet to swim out there in the Deep water.
So my Last question would be does anyone have any Idea as to when SMF will be something that we will be able to D/L and play with?

Note:
I know some of these questions may sound trivial but I also thought that maybe this would ask a lot of the, "new people like myself questions", and keep them in one thread and help others as well.

And answer them for Snuffy too! . . . .    

THANKS! for any and all INPUT here!