Other than vB if you had to choose..

[Big Dan]

I'm considering restarting a site which used to be vB powered, the site was a failure (my fault) and I moved the license elsewhere. I'm not really worried about converting the database as there wasn't much worthwhile.

If you had to chose a free forum package what would you choose?

I've considered phpBB. I used to work exclusively with that so I have a lot of experience modifying it. It seems to me all that's been released lately is security patches it's so popular that spammers have found work arounds. phpBB 3 beta's development is than slower molasses. I have a test install running somewhere and I like it but obviously it's not a wise choice to run a beta for a live site.

I also considered postnuke with pnphpbb but according to the website pnphpbb isn't fully compatable with the newest postnuke release.

SMF, i've test installed a couple of times, it's easy to work with but I don't know how widely supported it is.

myBB seems to have a very small user base compared to others.

I'd really like to go with a full information portal deal, Joomla & Mambo forum add-ons/hacks just don't measure up.

Did I miss a package? I cannot see spending for another vB license cause the site may never take off, again. If you had to choose a freebie package what would you go with and why?

Thanks,
Dan

[Greg]

I'd go with SMF myself. Their forums are very active or have been in my experience. I'm pretty sure it integrates with mambo too.

I bet for every member here with forum experience there are opinions though.

[Zero Tolerance]

I am phpNuke all the way. I have tried mambo...and I have seen joomla sites(a spinoff of mambo) and havent found anything that I liked/felt more comfy with.

I wouldnt go with anything over phpNuke 7.6 though because of security issues and bugs that the original author seems to just let go.

If you want a base nuke package with just the security and install script then go with Raven Nuke 2.x.x Thats what I run.

If you want a full blown all the bells and whistles package I would go with Platinum or Extreme. Both come with Sentinel and a BUNCH of other crap that I really dont need or want...but I have them all installed on my test bed and they all work well in a test environment.

phpNuke is by far the most popular....and with that comes the most exploits. So be SURE to use nuke Sentinel and set it up correctly if you go with it.

One downfall though is that regular phpBB mods/hacks wont work unless you port them. Ive not ported any mods personally but I do know that you at least have to change the db table name in the mods...plus probably some other things to have it work with phpNuke.

Also 2 of the most popular ported mods site have went kaput and finding ported mods for the forums are a little harder to find these days. However anything that was created from a nuke standpoint is fine.

Check my sites in my sigline to see both of my nuke sites.

[AnthonyCea]

MyBB is a free full featured forum software, it is open source and has an active community behind it and some brilliant coders working on it, it kicks ass!

http://www.mybboard.com/features_why.php

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[Ohiosweetheart]

I would really and truly hate to have to go back to phpBB. I started with them and uugghhh...

Good luck with this Dan

Originally Posted by AnthonyCea

MyBB is a free full featured forum software, it is open source and has an active community behind it and some brilliant coders working on it, it kicks ass!

http://www.mybboard.com/features_why.php

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About how long has MyBB been out now Anthony?

[AnthonyCea]

I started a thread here asking for the MyBB history, the thread leads to an interview of this brilliant coder that started the platform, Chris Boulton.

Read more about the latest MyBB release here

Follow this thread on a forum I run using MyBB, we will update it with the best MyBB forums out there so you guys can see that this is worthwhile indeed.

[Ohiosweetheart]

Originally Posted by AnthonyCea;18664[URL="http://www.indiasearch.org/forum/showthread.php?tid=74"

Follow this thread on a forum I run using MyBB, we will update it with the best MyBB forums out there[/URL] so you guys can see that this is worthwhile indeed.

Hey! There's only one forum listed there...

[B2W]

I'm a mod at site where they use SMF and I don't like it. I don't like Phpbb or IPB either. I wouldn't have a board if I couldn't have vbulletin.

[AnthonyCea]

If you want to put up forums for free you can't use vB, open source software is your only choice and MyBB is the one I'm running with, I've had SMF forums and one day it will be fine too!

vB is not the only show in town by any means!

[Zero Tolerance]

I never tried vB simply because it wasnt free. There was/is too much free stuff out there to be had to invest money into a license for vB.

I wouldnt have just a phpBB forum only though. I actually wouldnt have just a forum only of ANY kind. CMS is more important to me than a "forum only". I say that because its easier for me to keep my site updated without having to rely on the forums for all of its content.

But its all in what you are used to I guess. I have been here at this site since nopp started it...and I still feel very "in the dark" with vB. I guess its mainly because I havent taken much interest in it based on my first paragraph.