Messageboards
I'm having to rebuild a site that was done in asp which included a messageboard. I have come across some free ones that require a cgi-bin to run but I wanted any comments from you lot first before going ahead with trying them.
Just for the record I don't programm in any language so need something I can just download, customise, then run on a normal/basic/unix hosting package.
Julia - if life was meant to be easy Michael Angelo would have painted the floor....
davidjaymz posted this at 17:48 — 22nd April 2002.
He has: 193 posts
Joined: Jul 2001
Hey Julie...
This was discussed elsewhere under forums I think... Can you run php? Most of the forum boards use PHP at the moment... If you're looking for something simpler like a threaded board there was also a discussion (http://www.webmaster-forums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18300) on that...
If you're going to have a message board I'd definatley go for a forum... phpbb2 is a popular board although ibforums.com is going to wipe the floor with it as soon as its released...
Hope I was some help
DavidJaymz
The Webmistress posted this at 18:39 — 22nd April 2002.
She has: 5,586 posts
Joined: Feb 2001
At the moment they just have a message board. They really don't want the extremes of a forum as it's just a place to leave messages for other club users (they are between 12 & 17) which is why I'm looking to replace it like for like if possible.
Julia - if life was meant to be easy Michael Angelo would have painted the floor....
Wil posted this at 18:54 — 22nd April 2002.
They have: 601 posts
Joined: Nov 2001
Hi Julia
Take a look at GForum => http://www.gossamer-threads.com/perl/forum/
It's a very decent and powerful forum built on perl/mysql. BUT - the beauty of it is that you don't need to know scootch about programming, because it comes with a windows installer !! that does everything for you. It seriously is a good package. And, of course, it's all template based so as long as you know HTML or dreamweaver or whatever you use then you can customzie the look. No snooping around in anyone's code. Definitily worth a look!
Cheers
- wil
The Webmistress posted this at 08:27 — 23rd April 2002.
She has: 5,586 posts
Joined: Feb 2001
I'll have a look at that but it really was just a simple messageboard they require rather than a fully funtional forum, to keep it as simple as possible.
Julia - if life was meant to be easy Michael Angelo would have painted the floor....
Wil posted this at 08:40 — 23rd April 2002.
They have: 601 posts
Joined: Nov 2001
Aha. Then I guess you'd better steer clear of this one. I think powerful forums can be a little too daunting for some users. Have you tried the Matt's WWWBoard and similar alternatives?
- wil
The Webmistress posted this at 08:48 — 23rd April 2002.
She has: 5,586 posts
Joined: Feb 2001
I have a couple that I've found but just wondered if anyone had used one that they could recommend. Guess not!
cadeh posted this at 16:33 — 23rd April 2002.
They have: 33 posts
Joined: Apr 2002
how simple do you need? does it basicly need to be like one big thread like a guestbook type thing? Cuz then maybe there are some guestbook scripts that you can modify to just take off the guestbook label. Slap it in a folder and put htaccess password on it and bango, private little board for users. Hehe
http://www.cadeh.com - biz (or lack of)
http://me.cadeh.com - wanna see how dorky I am?
The Webmistress posted this at 07:38 — 24th April 2002.
She has: 5,586 posts
Joined: Feb 2001
I think I have found one but it doesn't need to be private with passwords.
Mike Feury posted this at 14:14 — 7th May 2002.
They have: 48 posts
Joined: May 2002
A thought Julia [yes, it happens]... would a blog be more suitable?
The Webmistress posted this at 14:20 — 7th May 2002.
She has: 5,586 posts
Joined: Feb 2001
Not sure what's happening with this site any more but they just want a simple to use message board for the youngsters to leave messages on.
fifeclub posted this at 14:20 — 8th May 2002.
He has: 688 posts
Joined: Feb 2001
Just a question. Perhaps I've been naive, but I've always used the terms Forum and Message Board interchangably. I understand that you're looking for something lite and simple, but is there an actual distinction between the two terms?
As for recommendations, I installed a few recently before being blown away by phpBB (v2). I know you said you don't need something powerful, but it is a snap to install. After uploading and chmod'ing, you just run the install script and it does most of it for you. Also, just because it is powerful with tons of valuable features, you don't need to utilize them. It's your choice require registration or allow UB code or avatars, so you can make it as simple as you want. Plus if you ever wanted to add some of these features in the future it would be much easier to just turn them on rather than start from scratch installing a new board. And finally, if you decide to require registration, phpBB can automitically ask if the user is over 13 and if so, display a COPA message about parental permission. I don't know if you expect kids from the USA to be on your site, but if so then it's a pretty good idea for liability reasons to display the COPA stuff just incase.
The Webmistress posted this at 14:24 — 8th May 2002.
She has: 5,586 posts
Joined: Feb 2001
Problem solved! We are taking over the maintenance of the site and they are continuing to host it so message board stays
All I have to do now is learn ASP 
Julia - if life was meant to be easy Michael Angelo would have painted the floor....
mjames posted this at 20:27 — 8th May 2002.
They have: 2,064 posts
Joined: Dec 1999
IMO, they are synonyms and can be used interchangeably.
Want to join the discussion? Create an account or log in if you already have one. Joining is fast, free and painless! We’ll even whisk you back here when you’ve finished.