A simpler phpbb

Does it exist?

[twist]

I started with phpbb around version 2.0.4 and over time have removed so much from the original that it has become useless to me to keep trying to use it and keep up.

I would consider just writing my own forum software but just don't have the time to secure it. I can only imagine the amount of work that would go into making sure nobody can hack it considering the countless people working on phpbb (open source) and it still getting hacked on a regular basis.

I am only concered with people posting questions and answering questions. I don't need any fluff beyond that. Kinda like this forum.

In phpbb I have removed all images, email (except for notices), private messaging and almost all personalized settings for users. My goal is to make it streamlined and fast. Even with all the modifications it's pretty slow. I don't even use the control panel, I just edit everything directly in the database.

So, is there any open source forum software out there that is similiar to bestbbs but with less options?

[encyclo]

Have you looked at MiniBB [minibb.net]? It is not as powerful as phpBB, but it has a much simpler interface and can be easily customized. It had it's own share of security problems in the past, but the development team appear to be on top of that now and the package as a whole is strong.

[twist]

Thanks encyclo. I downloaded and set it up last night. The best part is you can pay the $45 and they allow you to remove the copyright. If it works out I will be happy to pay, not because I don't like to support good software but security through obscurity is just another level of protection.

I spent hours looking over the net to find something like this, I have to thank you again for pointing me to it.

[WibbleWobble]

If you're still considering others, there's Phorum [phorum.org] and PunBB [punbb.org] in PHP flavours (you could also try bbPress [bbpress.org] or MyTopix [support.jaia-interactive.com], both are in beta stages though) or UBB Classic [ubbcentral.com] and E-Blah [eblah.com] for perl. They're all good alternatives to PHPBB, though I can't vouch for them in terms of speed, really. Those PHP ones listed seem to err on the side of simplicity though, so if MiniBB isn't right, maybe they are. HTH.