kmusser: (Work)
kmusser ([personal profile] kmusser) wrote2005-10-19 10:47 am
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Anyone have recommendations for web forum/discussion board software?

I need one for work - preferably free, but not necessarily. Needs to be easy to install (server is Apache on Unix if it matters) and allow a little customization (enough to match the rest of the website's look). Needs to be easy to use (we're talking govvie exec types here). I expect the volume to the low (around 60 users, maybe 5-10 posts a week).

[identity profile] fortryll.livejournal.com 2005-10-19 02:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Might want to ask my spouseling, [livejournal.com profile] xilet...he's a unix admin & does website management & creation stuff, as well.

[identity profile] acroyear70.livejournal.com 2005-10-19 03:06 pm (UTC)(link)
configuration usually involves knowing a little of the language being used and what's configured for the server. if there aren't any scripting languages for the apache server installed yet (perl, php, python), you'll need to do that.

beyond that, most web bb capabilities are pretty much the same. depends on the look and feel, really. do you want it to be "BB" like, or "blog" like (as in, is it mostly equal conversation, or is it key lead in, small discussion follows)?

the other key more important is database access. some are open-ended to the db, others are locked-down to mysql or postgres.

on the bb side, there's
php: http://www.phpbb.com/ (look up phpbb in google for more support including hacks).

look at this site: http://www.thinkofit.com/webconf/

or see if this site helps any: http://www.google.com/Top/Computers/Software/Internet/Servers/Message_Boards/

i personally have not had any direct experience configuring one of these. my non-work stuff's been mostly in blogs, rss, and cms systems.

[identity profile] just-the-ash.livejournal.com 2005-10-19 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I second the suggestion of phpBB. It seems to work really well in a variety of settings. [livejournal.com profile] pholph runs one on his server.

[identity profile] electricsoup.livejournal.com 2005-10-19 04:59 pm (UTC)(link)
phpbb has constant security issues, FYI. I like it, but it does. Haliboards is more stable, but I don't like the interface at all.

Invisionboard isn't free, but it's very cheap, and honestly it's very, very good and feature rich.

I've set up about 4-5 different types in my time. Let me know if you need assistance. :)

[identity profile] evcelt.livejournal.com 2005-10-19 06:53 pm (UTC)(link)
the tech forum for the DB/4GL we use here uses ubbThreads. It seems to work pretty well.