[ExI] Software advice please

[Bryan Bishop]

On Monday 02 June 2008, Gina Miller wrote:
> Hello everyone, I have a query. So I'm going to be developing that
> http://nanohealththinktank.com/ website, which isn't up and running
> yet but I need some help trying to find the right forum software.

http://phpbb.com/ - but make sure you use recaptcha (spam prevention)
http://mediawiki.org/ - but make sure you use recaptcha

Other options:

360Board - http://www.360Board.com/
Aborior's Encore - http://www.aborior.com/encore/index.shtml
ASP-DEv Free Forums - http://forums.asp-dev.co.uk/ (hosted)
ASP Playground.NET - http://www.aspplayground.net
BBBoard - http://bb.bbboy.net/ (hosted)
BeeBoard - http://www.beebalm.com/beeboard.html
BoardServer - http://www.web-site-tools.com/boardse.htm (hosted)
Burning Board - http://www.woltlab.de/
CuteCast - http://www.artscore.net/
Cyphor - http://www.cynox.ch/cyphor/
DCForum - http://www.dcscripts.com/dcforum.shtml
DCForum+ - http://www.dcscripts.com/dcforump.shtml
Discus - http://www.discusware.com/discus/index.php
DK3 Discussion board - http://www.dk3.com/boardsystem/ (hosted)
Eboards4all - http://www.eboards4all.com/ (hosted)
Edge-Board - http://www.edgeboard.net/
ezboard - http://www.ezboard.com (hosted)
ForumExperts - http://www.forumexperts.com/ (hosted)
FUD - http://fud.prohost.org
FuseTalk - http://www.fusetalk.com/
GuestForum - http://www.guestforum.com/ (hosted)
He Bulletin Board - http://www.hescripts.com/
IdealBB - http://www.idealscience.com/site/default.aspx
iHailStorm - http://inca.cc.uic.edu/ihailstorm/ihailstorm.php
ikonboard - http://www.ikonboard.com/
Invision Board - http://www.invisionboard.com/
InvisionFree - http://www.invisionfree.com/ (hosted)
Jive Forums - http://www.jivesoftware.com/products.jsp
LokwaBB - http://lokwa.farcom.com/
MercuryBoard - http://www.mercuryboard.com/
miniBB - http://www.minibb.net/
myBB - http://mybboard.com/
MyIkonboard - http://www.myikonboard.com/intro.php (hosted)
NavBoard - http://navarone.f2o.org
netVillage - http://www.netvillage.com/homeframeset.html (hosted)
Netzbrett - http://www.subjective.de/en/netzbrett/index.php
OpenBB - http://www.openbb.com
PBLang - http://pblang.drmartinus.de/
phpBB - http://www.phpbb.com/
Phorum - http://phorum.org/
POP Forums - http://popforums.cliquesite.com/
ProBoards - http://www.proboards.com (hosted)
RPGBoard - http://www.resonatorsoft.org/software/rpgboard/
RobBoard - http://borschevsky.virtualave.net/
SmartBB - http://www.smartbb.net/
SmarTek - http://corp.smartek.net/boards.cfm
SMB - http://www.simplemessageboard.com/
Snitz Forums 2000 - http://forum.snitz.com/
Sporum - http://www.sporum.org/
SowiBB - http://sowibb.sourceforge.net/
StarForums - http://on.starblvd.net/meet/ (hosted)
SuddenLaunch - http://www.suddenlaunch.com/ (hosted)
Tag Board - http://www.tag-board.com/ (hosted)
tribbyBoard - http://www.tribby.com/board/
UBB Classic - http://www.infopop.com/products/ubbclassic/
UBB Threads - http://www.infopop.com/products/ubbthreads/
UBB.x - http://www.infopop.com/products/ubbx/ (hosted)
UltraBoard - http://www.homepagetools.com/ultraboard/ (hosted)
vBulletin - http://www.vbulletin.com/
VersiForum - http://www.versiforum.com/
VoyForums - http://www.voy.com/ (hosted)
xsorbit - http://www.xsorbit.com/web/web_soft_messboard.html
w-Agora - http://www.w-agora.net/en/index.php
WebWiz - http://www.webwizguide.info/web_wiz_for ... p?mode=asp
WWWBoard - http://www.scriptarchive.com/wwwboard.html
XMB - http://www.xmbforum.com/
YaBB - http://www.yabbforum.com/
YaBB SE - http://www.yabb.info/
Yazd - http://yazd.yasna.com/
ZCom - http://zcom.frankoyer.com/cgi/index.cgi
Zorum - http://www.zorum.com/
ZUBB - http://www.zope.org/Members/BwanaZulia/ZUBB

> What I am really looking for ~ is for it to be an easy to use visual
> WYSIWYG (remember that term), because I really don't want anything

Try http://xstandard.com/ ?

> complicated or full of scripting this or that (really). I also don't
> need it to be one of those hosted  forums or the dependency of it

I agree. Avoid dependency issues. Especially dreamweaver or other 
commercial products. Also avoid frontpage. You could go with Open 
Office and use it to save HTML documents, but there are other options 
like xstandard.com and so on.

> because I have my own domain and will be uploading via Dreamweaver.

Woah, stop right there. You don't need to go as far as dreamweaver. Just 
go install a blogging system (wordpress) or a content management 
system, like drupal.

http://wordpress.com/
http://drupal.org/

> And while I am willing to pay for it, not anything unreasonable. As

You should pay at most $5/yr for the domain name, and the hosting could 
either be (1) a one-time $25 fee for an old computer, or (2) host with 
one of us. For example, if you're not expecting more than a few million 
hits a month, I could host you very easily.

> far as features go, I would like the usual modern message board where
> people can create their own profile and post comments, under various
> topics (I would like moderation controls). But I would also like

Those boards I listed above can do this.

> there to be a chat room, but again not hosted, once I buy this stuff

Chat rooms via IRC? http://irchelp.org/
You could run a server daemon process in the background, it's 
called 'ircd' (irc daemon), which does a server. This way anybody can 
connect through their own favorite clients, and you can provide a page 
on the site for people less fortunate (cgi irc gateway, easily 
Googleable).

> I want it to be mine forever. And a calendar or other interesting

I think drupal might do calendars. phpBB and other board systems 
definitely do.

> interactive features would be a nice bonus. Does anyone have any
> ideas for me? Thank you for any help you can provide : )

Hope that helps.

- Bryan
________________________________________
http://heybryan.org/