Forum Moderators: rogerd
The two best-known bulletin board packages out there are phpBB and vBulletin. phpBB is a free (open source) package with a comprehensive feature-set and a huge number of available modifications. vBulletin is commercial software (it costs about $160) and is generally considered to be more advanced than phpBB. There are various add-ons and modifications available for it too. Both systems use a template system so the look can be customized. Both also need some fine-tuning (phpBB in particular) before being used for a live site. Also bulletin board systems, as they have to deal with input from such a wide variety of sources, need to be kept scrupulously up-to-date, so you need to keep informed of any security issues that can (and will) come up.
After that there are a large number of less well-known packages which suit many differing needs. They may have different of fewer features, a simpler interface, etc. but don't have the reputation the two biggest have.
My personal choice is usually phpBB as I am now very familiar with it, but you should try a few to decide which one you prefer.
I don't know about you, but I often get tired of seeing phpbb around every corner of the internet. Especially since their are so many other solutions out there. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against phpbb. I just think it is too common.
Look around Hotscripts, and you will find there are many others that look good, and can handle large communities.
My personal favorite is called Mybb (google it, no affiliation). It is free, and has an extended list of features and mods to choose from. This forum software has huge potential if they just start to market their script better. Mybb Gold Edition will be coming out soon, so I would wait for that. So far the latest version they have is Release Candidate 4. It is stable and easy to use.
I hope this helps, and best of luck to you!
I have nothing against phpbb. I just think it is too common.
Agreed. I'm rather opposed to one system becoming the web standard. There are many ways to design a forum, and I'd rather see diversity flourish! I remember the days of stumbling across a forum where something was done a little differently and thinking, "Wow that's neat, that's creative." These days everyone just slaps a phpbb with minimal customizations onto their site -- boring!
So, really I guess forum software preference is kind of like car preferences - sometimes it's a matter of what you need to do with it, sometimes it's just how it feels to you or how it looks.
For me I'd like something new and fresh, easy to customize and modify. Yeah Id like to modify my bb to suit my needs...
:)
