Which Forum Script to choose.

[sunils]

Hi all

I am working as a freelance programmer for one of the company and they asked to set up a forum for them.
They said that they need an open source forum script. Since my script is still under contraction, i need your help in deciding which script to go for.

There are lot of comparison and such on the net, but i want your true and personal opinion and experience with the forums scripts you have used(if any).

These are the list that they suggested.

(1).SMF
(2).MyBB
(3).PhpBB

Its mainly like a doubt clearing forum or so, not yet decided what will be there.
These are the features that they are currently asking for
(1).Simple and easy for management
(2).Archiving capability
(3).Backup Capability
(4).MySql/Php support
(5).Easy for the user to use.

So i will start a poll on it and you can vote for that and also post your opinion on it here.

 

[FalseHope]

I'd go with phpBB. It is the most professional looking board. Although SMF is a nice board, phpBB is better

 

[sunils]

Thanks mike for your opinion. but need some more thoughts about it from all you guys out there.

 

[TechAsh]

I use phpBB, and although it's probably not the simplest to administer it has lots of useful features. There are also hundreds of MODs and Themes available to help you customise your forums.

1. Simple and easy for management - Yes, but it can take a while to get used to where all the options are (They're not always where you'd expect them to be).
2. Archiving capability - Not sure, but there will be a MOD for it.
3. Backup Capability - Yes, via the Admin Panel.
4. MySql/Php support - Yes.
5. Easy for the user to use - Yes, it has a very good UI and you can customise it to suit your needs.

 

[sunils]

thank you techash for a detailed explanation about the question which i asked.
More votes needed to decide which one to choose.

 

[Mitch]

I voted for phpbb, because i use phpbb3. Vbulletin is good too, but you need to pay for it.

There is a Arcade Room for phpbb3 (this mod is still a beta version)
http://startrekguide.com/community/mods/index.php?db=27#./../viewtopic.php?f=27&t=2321

There is a Cash mod too.
http://startrekguide.com/community/mods/index.php?db=27#./../viewtopic.php?f=27&t=751

(Post 333. Nice numbers )

 

[mvd7793]

Yeah, phpBB for me. Ease of use, setup, and lots of support.

Sunils, if you want any help setting up phpBB or converting it, let me know!

 

[sunils]

Thank you guys for your response regarding these.
I will keep this poll open still for some more days to get more reviews on it. Then only i am going to present a report based on this poll to my client to which forum script he can go.

Special thanks mvd7793 for his will to lend an helping hand.
Mitch thanks for the two urls that you gave. will see that link tomorrow.

Need more response.

 

[Loneua Technologies]

I have always used phpBB, it is the greatest, an assortment of add-ons and more, it is truly a wonderful tool.

 

[intertec]

Yes, phpBB all the way! And now that version 3 is out, even better!

 

[Sohail]

I chose PHPbb as it's easy to use and user friendly, plus it can be fully customized. You may want to consider choosing between verion 2 and 3 as 3 is better but has a few bugs...

 

[sunils]

I chose PHPbb as it's easy to use and user friendly, plus it can be fully customized. You may want to consider choosing between verion 2 and 3 as 3 is better but has a few bugs...

Thanks sohilamir52 for your experience on phpbb.
But i need some more reviews on it who have experience in it.
I will decide after more review are posted here.

 

[TheMan177]

I'm going to go against the flow and say SMF.

It's powerful, yet easy to use and navigate, It's user base is also growing, along with customization and the like--a valid competitor against phpBB in my opinion.

I used to use phpBB myself, but some experiences from myself and other users sent me searching for an alternative. I found SMF and I'm not going back. :biggrin:

 

[sunils]

I'm going to go against the flow and say SMF.

It's powerful, yet easy to use and navigate, It's user base is also growing, along with customization and the like--a valid competitor against phpBB in my opinion.

I used to use phpBB myself, but some experiences from myself and other users sent me searching for an alternative. I found SMF and I'm not going back. :biggrin:

You mentioned about the you have used phpbb and i could not understand the remaining part of it. Did you and other users had bad or good experience.

But i am still not able to make a decision. I have heard someone saying that mods are available and where do i get one. My Client want it completely open source.

 

[czarky]

I'm using SMF.. it's quite flexible and easy to use., installing mods and themes are quite easy since the software includes Package Manager where you could just upload the mods and simply install it with no further editing some scripts.. upload and install.. also lots of themes available for SMF both paid and free.. well, just my opinion.. by the way, phpBB lacks security and lots of holes based on experience..

 

[kkenny]

(1).Simple and easy for management
> phpBB has the nicest admincp panel out of the three
(2).Archiving capability
> smf is better in archiving, but the load time really lags the server, phpbb has a decent archive, but it is loaded faster
(3).Backup Capability
> phpBB and myBB have their own import export forum options (addon)
(4).MySql/Php support
> I'm pretty sure it's even in all three.
(5).Easy for the user to use.
> phpBB is the most used forum system out of the three, so it's more recognized by new users more often.

 

[AutoItKing]

I have always used SMF, it has a professional look and feel, and it's very easy to use. I grew up using IP.Board, so I needed to find something similar, and SMF fit pretty well.
SMF is very efficient, it's very easy to modify and administer, themes are easily added, or removed. User management couldn't be easier, the users are like sheep being herded into and out of your forum. You can add modules and add-ons in seconds, and then use them very easily, as they integrate seamlessly.

Here's a full feature list:http://www.simplemachines.org/about/features.php
Modifications can be found here: http://custom.simplemachines.org/

It just offers so much stuff, and it might seem overwhelming, but it's not.

PhpBB looks too childish to me, and incomplete. IP.Board and SMF just have more to offer. Same goes for MyBB.

Hope I helped!

P.S. The best way to choose is to just try them all out.

Have a great spring break!

 

[mvd7793]

phpBB 3 has a paid security audit. AKA: Someone was paid to go through it, and found no vulnerabilities. It has a "professional" control panel, and 3 has been modified a lot, so it's better than 2, which is one reason why I'm suggesting it. Having used MyBB, SMF, and phpBB, I can say that I like phpBB the best.

 

[sunils]

It has now become extremely difficult to choose which is the best. But the competition is between SMF and PhpBB. I found conflicting statements about the security issues being discussed here. If any body is expert in both can you put in your view about it, so that becomes easy for me to choose.

More over, I extends my gratitude to all the members who voted and posted about the which forum script to use. Still got some more days to decide which one to go.

 

[SuperMAG]

WWW.Punbb.ORG /// IS THE GREATEST FASTEST SEOEST AND POWERFULLEST FORUM SOFTWARE IN THE WORLD