Punbb - A Php-Based Forum

I was wondering if anyone else out there has been on the lookout for forum software. Forums are a great way for open source projects to get people involved in the development and community building, and it shares some of the same values that Xisto does, with the use of the Invision Power Board software.PunBB is quick, easy, and simple to use. The interface is not cluttered at all, and is built for those times when you want something clean, something that is meant to just get the word across. If you want to post to the forum and get help from someone who knows what the configuration settings for apache should be, that's what PunBB excels at. If you want to use PunBB as an alternative to FaceBook, you don't really have all the Polls, fancy image uploads, and all that other forum software would be likely to provide.If you are looking for a PHP-based forum software, go with PunBB if you want to have something that is quick and easy to setup, and runs on a shared web hosting space. If you want to go for something BIG, something with commercial support, and something that is extensible, choose between vbulletin and Invision Power Board (you will get a lot of support on this forum if you decide to go with Invision Power Board). If you want something free, yet of the scale that Invision Power Board goes, choose phpBB (Be warned though, phpBB is harder to extend than any of the other forums).Note: PunBB hasn't had any updates in about 6 months, whereas phpBB is still in active development, whereas vBulletin and IPB are commercial forums that are being actively supported. However, with the simplicity of PunBB, you can take it apart and maintain it yourself, if need be.

I have never heard of PunBB but I think for most users it's better to stick with something widely supported. phpBB would be the go-to forums for those who want the free ones, for example, as they have the biggest community. And with all the extensions and documentation available, extending isn't *too* bad I don't think (although I've only done minor stuff, like interfacing the forums with another website for logins and such).

When it comes to integrating forums with other websites, I find it more appealing to use the forums that were designed for the integration. For example, there is WordPress, which is the most popular content management system around, and there is the forum software that is meant to be latched on, bbPress. I would not really consider creating extensions around another forum to integrate with WordPress when there is already bbPress, because it would take too much effort... although if someone else were to create one, I would most likely add it to my choices. I believe Drupal too has a forum extension, but I can't seem to recall the name right now.PunBB is pretty much abandoned, with no updates in over a year, but if someone did want to get a forum to modify and customize to their needs instead of creating a new one from ground-up, then PunBB would probably be something to consider. If PunBB were in active development, it would make an excellent choice though. It is light-weight so if somebody did not want to go with something like bbPress for WordPress because of server resource constraints, then PunBB would have been an option, except that it is no longer being maintained. I wonder if the PunBB folk can call out to any of their advanced users to help with the updates and maintaining the software, or if someone can just take the PunBB source code and fork the project. I do remember that PunBB has some parts based on another forum so I am unclear on whether the license would restrict the use of the software, but PunBB is released as GPL so I'm assuming that the use of all parts of PunBB are governed by the GPL - if it were not, there would probably be a license that explicitly stated that those parts are licensed differently.

Hello k_nitin_rHere we meet again.I had a look at PunBB. It looks neat and well laid out. I haven't tested the customization capabilities but I take your word.The only think that I didn't like was the text editor for posting and replying. It's very basic and lacks to many essential tools.I would assume that could be changed if you replace it's editor by a one of your choice. Have you looked at that?