forum and formail questions

[brijay]

I am thinking about adding a forum and getting something to process forms added to my site. My site host offers these as an add on for a small fee, I know these are available for free but i'm not confident I can upload them correctly, I don't have problems altering the templates once they're uploaded so am happy to pay the fee to get them on the site.

What i want to know however - is there some questions I should be asking them in regards to these add ons. I have heard that forums and formail details can be 'hijacked' (not really sure what this means) and that there are certain things you should do to prevent this. Can anyone tell me what sort of things they would be cheking prior to paying a fee for having these add ons?

Thanks Brijay

[mack]

The biggest question for any add on to a script is "is it secure" If the script is still being activly developed then the chances are it will be. The risk is with older software that has not been updated in a while.

With any app there can be a battle between the developers and people who are trying to find weaknesses in the code.

Try Googleing for known exploits with the app you intend to use. Dont always be out off if you read about an old exploit. Look into how long it took the deveoper to "patch" it.

No software can ever be 100% secure. But the response time to a known exploit can be very importaint.

Mack.

[brijay]

Thanks for that,

They have an option between phpBB and invision board for the forums.
I believe the Form script is just called Form Mail.
I will do a search and check them out, but was wondering what thoughts there are on these?

Brijay

[kodaks]

Greetings,

They have an option between phpBB and invision board for the forums.

Those two are by far the most used board systems, but you may also want to look into some of their alternatives. I would suggest going to Hotscripts.com and make a search before making any final decisions.

True, security should be the biggest concern on anyone's agenda when it comes to bulletin board or form mail software for that matter. But you may also want to see how each program can be customized, to match your site's design and interface as well.

I believe the Form script is just called Form Mail.

I have used that script for a long time, and have been very happy with it. If you would like a script that also generates the form code for you, look for a script called "Magic Form Mail" by Reamday. This is an excellent free program, and very easy to use.

I hope this helps, and best of luck to you!

[brijay]

Thanks Kodaks,

I had a look at the Magic Form Mail and it looks quite impressive and something that even I can manage to install.

Just have a question in regards to it, I have posted on their forum but it doesn't look like it is frequented to much (not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing).

As I am new to this whole form process, I thought that form scripts go into the cgi-bin, which quite frankly I have no idea what that is (but know I have one and can access it). However does this script actually get placed in the cgi-bin or just in the normal root directory?

Thanks in advance

Brijay

[kodaks]

With Magic's script, they do not require you to put anything in the cgi-bin, it is all handled within the main part of your site.

[brijay]

That's what i thought it looked like but was worried does that make it less secure? Also it doesn't seem to have a log in so anyone who knows the path can go in and make up a form - Is this how you have seen it work or am I missing something?

Thanks again for your help/advice it is appreciated.

Brijay

[brijay]

Never mind my last question, I just protected the folder so only I have access to it!

Thanks for the recommendation, so far I love this script it is perfect for what I need. And for my level of skill is probably the better choice. Have a little tweaking to do before I can start using it but it pretty much does all the hard work for you!

Now I can stop using a 3rd party form processor and subjecting my viewers to those annoying pop ups that come part and parcel of the service :)

Now on to deciding on the forum I think the phpBB is looking good plenty of support and demo's, even looks easy enough for me to install myself.

Thanks again
Brijay

[kodaks]

Glad I could help, and good luck with your new forum!