Forum Software, Rip-off?

[scan06disk 0]

OMG are you serious a VBullitin look alike i have been searching for something similar but just got the warzed version which i know is against rules and policy so i deleted it but as for a look-a like Mybb here i come hope it doesn't contain adds :)cheersScan

[nol 0]

I remember when I had IPB, I felt so cheated. After awhile I just quit it, actually I found out my bill never went through once i tried upgrading, I actually got the upgrade but I didn't have to pay for anything except the 10$ domain and the 20$ set-up fee. It was actually pretty good lol. My bill ended up in another one of my members(which is how they learned about us) because by accident. Then they just joined our forums and IPB never paid me for the rest of it lol! Oh well, good enough for me

[Spyda 0]

OMG are you serious a VBullitin look alike i have been searching for something similar but just got the warzed version which i know is against rules and policy so i deleted it but as for a look-a like Mybb here i come hope it doesn't contain adds
cheers
Scan

Mybb is ad-free client, and the newest version has similar features to those of vbuilliten. It is really good for anybody needing a board, that and phpbb3 are I think the best free boards out there.

[hippiman 0]

I've been thinking about trying to code my own.

I think making my own would help me a lot with knowledge of php and page layouts. Pretty much everything I've made so far that's web related has looked retarded. I've gotten stuff to work, but nothing has looked very good. I hope I just need practice, and it's not that I just suck at it. The only part I can do so far is the programming.

[garbage 0]

Im sure that if you can create your own, there is some one out there willing to help twaek it and make the appearance of it look even better.There is always people out there looking for stuff liek this.. Im sure you might even be able to partner up with someone and maybe even create and distribute your own message board.. and that would be cool especially since you say you know how to create that stuff.

[serverph 0]

what forum i'm trying to search for is just something with the rudimentary features as found in all other forums, AND lightweight as well (for bandwidth considerations). i'm actually happier with a lo-fi version, just as found in IPB (click this to see a lo-fi version of this page) -- but without paying a dime. i wish all forums can look that way, devoid of the bells and whistles of themes and templates which deviate people's attention from the topic at hand. makes reading a breeze too. design should enhance and complement user experience, but with some forums, i just don't feel that way; sometimes, it makes me just wanna leave that discussion. ;P (mind you, i'm not blaming the forum script, i blame the designers ). smf and phpbb, i've tried previously with my previous forum communities, but i have lost interest in them with the "bloated" (at least for me) scripts they have. though the last two served me well for my purpose, there are better ones out there.

 

anyway, the closest i found, with the basic features i wanted (and then some) are punbb and vanilla. good thing both also have a burgeoning community which provides ample support for their users. integrating them with a CMS or blog-system also is widely documented online. mybb looks fine too, although i haven't tested it yet unlike punbb and vanilla. i wouldn't be going for IPB and vbulletin anytime soon, because of the fees involved in procuring and using them.

[DeM0nFiRe 0]

Personally, I don't see why you have to buy forum software at all. I personally use only free Forums software. My favorite is PHPbb3. It took it until v3 to catch up with the others out there, but it really is as good as the payed software now. I've looked at the prices for software like vBulletin and IPB, and I think they're way over priced. When you think about it, PHPbb3 has everything that you really need for a great forum.

[reconraiders 0]

I don't think I'll ever pay for forum software either. I might try making some of my own and make other people pay for it though! lol. But first I will release some open source software and make a name for myself. But right now, I use MyBB. I think it is the best free forum software out there. The only downside is that not enough people use it. If it becomes more popular it will be better. Because then there will be more mods and themes and templates. The more popular it gets the better. It has all the great features already though like custom XML/RSS syndication, a lo-fi or lite mode with no graphics, a really powerful admin system and lots of other little goodies! I definitely put my stamp of approval on MyBB. IPB is still good though (if you like wasting money).

[jlhaslip 4]

A really n ice, light weight, standards compliant Forum software which is also free, open-source is named Phorum.Several formats to select from, ie: threaded and really quite fast loading.

[DeM0nFiRe 0]

True, if you are looking for something for a barebones forum, some of the simpler programs like Simple Machine Forums or an older version of PhpBB might be better for you. All free also.

[elaks 0]

My favourite to use would have to IPB. But my favourite to run as a webmaster is Vbulletin. Whilst I feel IPB is fair for it's price- Vbulletin seems to lack in the skins department making most installations of the board look the same unless heavily modded by hand (E.g, Somethingawful Forums, Facewound Forums). I do agree that forum software has become a big business for those successful few; but their are still too many free options to make it a rip off. If you can't afford VB, just go for Phpbb. Simple.

[DeM0nFiRe 0]

My favourite to use would have to IPB. But my favourite to run as a webmaster is Vbulletin. Whilst I feel IPB is fair for it's price- Vbulletin seems to lack in the skins department making most installations of the board look the same unless heavily modded by hand (E.g, Somethingawful Forums, Facewound Forums). I do agree that forum software has become a big business for those successful few; but their are still too many free options to make it a rip off. If you can't afford VB, just go for Phpbb. Simple.

Hear hear! As a matter of fact, I belive that phpBB is updated more frequently than any other forum software anyway.

[elaks 0]

Hear hear! As a matter of fact, I belive that phpBB is updated more frequently than any other forum software anyway.

Really? Well- maybe patches, but full releases seem much more infrequent than IPB. IPB has got to have the fastest updates than any other board- the time between 1.3 and 2.3.1 seems to be no time at all. Maybe it's just because I have to keep updating it myself.

[DeM0nFiRe 0]

Well, phpBB3 was in beta for a while, but since they started making Release candidates, they've come out with a new one every other week or so, which is pretty fast. It is a while between new versions, but patches come out fast, and with phpBB3, all you need is fixes and mods for it, becuase it has everything else buiolt in already.

[tigercat 0]

I am another one of those webmasters, who bought an IPB license. When I bought the license, I thought it was worth it because their was nothing else out there. However, a year later, I noticed that my support expired. It wasn't a big deal because the perpetual license I bought, which was available at the time, offered unlimited updates. I was not happy when I realized that I couldn't access their modification forum. I do not think that their modification forum should fall under support because most of the content is contributed by other people. I have never tried MyBB, but if it has the features of Vbulletin, I might have to do a test install for my friend's forum. I really recommend that everyone stay away from IPB no matter what. Matt lied to everyone, who used IPB back in the 1.x days. He said over and over again that the forum would be free. As soon as 2.x went out, it was an unlimited trial. They also charge $25 EVERY SIX MONTHS for updates. That equals $50 a year, which doesn't include updates to their other software, unless you buy their Community Suite, which does not include their download manager. Charging for updates every six months is wrong and far too expensive. Even Vbulletin has a better update system ($30 per year). In addition, they have a "business license" to trick people into paying them even more money. IPB doesn't really offer features above and beyond what some of its rivals offer, so it isn't a good deal. I just hope that Matt, who is the owner of Invision Power Services, ends up getting burned for lieing about the cost of their software. He probably originally made it free to get publicity and always intended to charge for it.