Recommend the best free forum software

[Tracy]

I was literally the one proposing to invest my time because I do know how to build software....
Could it be because people like you take a crap on people who do offer to donate their time for such causes?

Wow... great to know that you represent ALL of society. You are a very small subset... and if I'm not mistaken... you are more from the era that I talked about that WAS willing to do such...not the current era.
And as I told you... you have the spare time and don't mind wasting it... knock yourself out. We can always use some more "wheels" created to emulate what is already out for use. But don't get butt-hurt when it doesn't get taken up well, or never even reaches the stage of take-off.
Does the name Scott Molinari ring a bell to you? How many years has it been since his "product" was announced? And exactly where can you find it at now?
The fact is... the younger folks (the largest subset of them) that would have the ability to do that would rather see a financial return on the use of their "spare" time. And that's not limited to your magic "open source" software.. it goes through most segments of the youth in society today in giving "spare time" to outside causes that they get no financial return on. Go to a local animal shelter on a weekend and compare the number of older volunteers there to the younger ones.

So on the one hand you complain that the free projects don’t do enough to satisfy you and on the other complain that no one should be working on free projects!

What I state is that those free projects don't meet what many currently expect. And I point that out weaknesses. It is those developers problem that they can't seem (or won't) to get their scripts at least somewhat modern.
If those free archaic scripts want to compete in modern society... then they are going to HAVE to bring themselves forward.
You see, I have NO issues paying for what I want... but seeing those free scripts move forward instead of being the fossilized dinosaur turds that many of them are would help others. Pointing out glaring weaknesses in them is no more than that.. pointing out a glaring weakness. In fact, in one comment an individual commented about how those free scripts "gets the job done".... that's a poor expectation of mediocrity. Most would like to have the have the job well done.

 

[Arantor]

Yes, exactly, I am absolutely from that era and mindset but all you ever had was scorn and derision. I didn’t want much in the way of validation for what I was proposing, just enough to feel like it wouldn’t be a complete waste of time but I realised that it was time to close the door on community tools after all these years and spend my development efforts on other things.

 

[Tracy]

I didn’t want much in the way of validation for what I was proposing, just enough to feel like it wouldn’t be a complete waste of time but I realised that it was time to close the door on community tools after all these years and spend my development efforts on other things.

And when you got different input than you "were hoping for", you got your feelers hurt. You didn't get a "RAH RAH... Look at Arantor run" response, but a more realistic one.
I'm pretty sure at least myself and one other didn't intend to offend you... but to simply point out that your pursuits may be better addressed elsewhere as you were probably looking at disappointment.
As I said... you got the time to burn on it... knock yourself out. But don't get upset if it doesn't turn out like you were wishing for.

 

[Arantor]

That‘s you all over, milk of human kindness, dispensing wisdom and clarity to all. I did however take your advice and started working on other software projects in other languages. We don’t need more forum platforms anyway.

 

[Tracy]

That‘s you all over, milk of human kindness, dispensing wisdom and clarity to all

Nope... I'm a curmudgeon.... and I know it. You, on the other hand appear to be a "dreamer" and don't like your "dreams" interrupted with reality.

I did however take your advice and started working on other software projects in other languages. We don’t need more forum platforms anyway.

Good deal.... I don't think you would have been happy with the results of "yet another" forum script or similar. There is only so much that you can extend if you expect it to run on shared hosting.
Have you given thought to a "better" type of CopperMine that combines with allowing media (both uploaded and streaming) Something like a Instagram, but with the ability to maybe have articles by participants?
There are also tons of "commercial" venture areas you could look at... say like working on a web based software (either locally hosted or on the actual web) that allows stuff like animal shelters to keep track of related needs (stocks of supplies, donations from outside sources, showing off the furbies that are up for adoption).
There are a LOT of areas that don't involve forum/social media type participation that could be served by some quality open source software. Or something like an "improved" NextCloud.

 

[Jason]

I often try not to judge others motivations. Some people produce good content for free or free, considering it's a teaser for premium stuff.

 

[TwitchisMental]

Sorry... myBB would be one of my LAST recommendations (I'd actually put phpBB above it). Here it is 2023, and it STILL is not mobile friendly without jumping through hoops.
SMF does a VERY decent job of being mobile friendly, and the current version has (for a base forum) some very decent add-ons available.. and it's not exactly "ugly". The below style only had about 10 minutes of "massaging" done to it.

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I gotta agree with this. MyBB once upon a time would be a suggestion, but unfortunately their development has stalled. By the way is that one of Shades. themes?

I realize that there are some here that are BIG "open source" fans (hi @Arantor), but the simple fact remains... scripts that depend on license fees will be quickly fixed/updated... whereas those that are dependent upon those developers that offer their services for free will always lag behind.

I mean the same thing still can and does happen with paid projects aswell. Most notable here lately... XenForo. They are still ahead of the game when compared to MyBB and even SMF though.


@OP Out of all of the Free and/or Open Source Forum Software, I would suggest SMF or PhpBB.

SMF being my #1 choice, the current team while small has goals in mind and is trying their best to keep those goals. Bumps have been hit, but they are slowly chugging along. The ModDB for the latest version is getting bigger as time goes on. The ThemeDB is aswell. They also have a small but strong support team. (Throw in a wee bit of personal bias from me aswell lol)

PhpBB is another solid choice there.. think of it like 1b not 2. PhpBB has been around for a very long time and still in development. They have a large theme and mod selection. The default theme is responsive and looks alright. (I know not everyone agrees) . Their overall support is pretty good aswell. Some things about it comes with a big learning curve though, eg the ACP.

MyBB would be a distant third in my opinion. They are still using tables, the default theme is not responsive, and the development has slowed down to almost a complete halt. With that said, they do have a large ThemeDB, many of which are responsive. The ModDB is also a decent size. The support is there, but can take some time.

Truthfully I think the biggest issue for most is the dwindling number of forums and forum users in general. They simply aren't as popular as they once were. So not a-lot of people want to put their free time into these projects. Then you throw in issues like conflicting mindsets or goals and well more issues arise to put it simply. Which sucks because some of those people do infact have A-LOT of knowledge to put into a project.

 

[Tracy]

Most notable here lately... XenForo

They are rolling out regular point updates though. They are rather slacking on x.Y.z releases.... and I really have to wonder if a major part of that right now is going to have to do with an editor change.

They simply aren't as popular as they once were. So not a-lot of people want to put their free time into these projects. Then you throw in issues like conflicting mindsets or goals and well more issues arise to put it simply. Which sucks because some of those people do infact have A-LOT of knowledge to put into a project.

and this is pretty much one of the points I was attempting to make.... when folk are "volunteering" their time.... a lot more drama can (and frequently does) occur.

 

[Arantor]

I did actually do a gallery mod for SMF in 2014 that supported images and video (both uploaded and embedded from YT and Vimeo). It wasn’t as feature-full in the 1.x releases as Coppermine but that was the original plan. It was supposed to be a paid product but lack of sales didn’t translate to ongoing anything and I ended up giving it away after a while once my income situation had settled down.

I’m no good at business, never was, but I know how long things take to build, and I know what I can build, there’s no dreaming involved there because that’s literally my day job: solutions architecture and implementation, and if I don’t get the numbers right up front either the client walks or we make a loss, so I have to get that part right - and I do.

The thing is, there wasn't historically this drama in SMF. That came much later when the original founders bowed out and a culture grew up around “us and them” for the team vs, well, basically everyone else. The “former team” camp has been reviled for many years for daring to have opinions and thoughts on how to improve SMF and it’s always been assumed from the other side of the fence as “tearing the project down” when it was only ever “we want you to be the best you can be, here’s what we know and would like to suggest”.

 

[joelr]

I was literally the one proposing to invest my time because I do know how to build software, I make a decent enough living at it already and I enjoy coding enough that I was looking at whether I’d spend my free time pursuing something I cared about. I literally have all the skills required to build a forum platform. (Not least *because at one time, I was one*)

I wanted to return to this point because I wanted to let you know that my comments were (trying) to come from a good place in the sense of, if you're building a a new forum software for free without any commercial viability or market benchmarks, then ... Who are you building it for? Yourself or others?

We've seen ElkeArt, Wedge, and plenty of other personal projects. My concern as a client is that I can't be interested in a new forum software unless it meets certain market requirements. This includes: an established install base, a third party marketplace, a robust support system, a robust private development system, financial stability and a history of continuous development, etc.

If this is a personal project that you are personally passionate about, then ... you don't need our permission! You have the skills, the interest, and the expertise. Go for it, and I will cheer you on every step of the way! But if you're looking for market validation from Joel as a client, there's going to be some (well meaning and well-intended) hesitation.

More than ever, I think the lower end of the hobbyist market is underserved - both in technology platforms and in community strategy. I don't have the skills for one of those problems, but I am working on the second problem - and I would invite others who have the passion to continue to offer expert resources.

 

[Arantor]

So let me ask you this: would you also rule out phpBB, MyBB and SMF when ruling out ElkArte and Wedge? If not, why not? They also don’t meet your criteria for market conditions.

 

[Tracy]

phpBB, MyBB and SMF when ruling out ElkArte and Wedge?

Don't know about him.. but I'm about to move my SMF site (even though it gets no traffic and is ONLY for my enjoyment) away from SMF... I'm still debating on IPS (short lifespan for self-hosted), WoltLab (not really crazy about their the UI on their script) or XenForo (issues with there current lackadaisical attitude on major improvements).
So yes, I wouldn't consider any of them, as viable alternatives for what I want for my site.
Some folks are happy with plain white bread... some of us want some butter, jam, real fruit preserves or such with that plain bread.

 

[Arantor]

Curious, what’s the rationale for it? What does SMF not have that the others do?

 

[Tracy]

Curious, what’s the rationale for it? What does SMF not have that the others do?

Easiest to show in the navigation bar.

In a nutshell... quality add-ons that extend the use of the basic script.
IPS somewhat has that ability with their Pages app... but their plans on shoving self-hosting into the shitter kinda impacts my desire to use them.

 

[Arantor]

Do you need all those things in the Pipe Stand? Do I really need to go find you each of the addons that you’d need? (Multiple of the portal mods support articles, there’s multiple gallery choices, etc)

 

[Tracy]

Do you need all those things in the Pipe Stand? Do I really need to go find you each of the addons that you’d need? (Multiple of the portal mods support articles, there’s multiple gallery choices, etc)

For that domain... Reviews, Articles, Blogs, Classifieds and Groups at the minimum for what I want to offer. Simply prefer to be able to compete with other sites in the niche.
Could I "get by" with shoe-horning some of those into forum areas.. yep... but then you are back to the plain white bread comparitor. You see, the entire point is to try to do MORE than your competitors do to hope to draw traffic to your site since you offer more features.
And I'm sorry.. there isn't shit in the SMF environ that can compare with those offerings.... or in ANY of the "free scripts" offerings.
So go ahead... try to find equivalents in the free script markets... hell, even XenForo's "articles" exceeds any of the add-ons I found for SMF articles... and those are ultimately simply forum posts in XenForo which have NO comparison to AMS articles.
Now, let's not even get into the ability of the Reviews or Classified Ads add-ons.
So yes, PLEASE show me an equal to that within those mighty "free forum scripts", even at a paid level for their offerings. Several of those "features" were provided when I was running IPS thanks to Pages, but they were not as all-encompassing as the 3rd party XF add-ons are.

The sad reality is... those free scripts are fine for those who want to provide basics for their users.. if you decide to push the limits.. you better be able to code yourself or have some mighty deep pockets. Meanwhile, in the paid script environment, many of those needs will have already been met either by the base script (or 1st party add-ons) or by quality 3rd party add-ons.
And I think we ALL know that "simple forums" are quickly a dying breed... you have to be able to offer MORE to your users than a simple place to post thoughts... granted not all users will avail themselves of those "features"... but those that do will tend to draw more traffic to the site.

Notice anything? Not all of those (not even in the majority) are actual discussion threads.

 

[Arantor]

Given that I don’t really* know your requirements, becaus saying ”I need articles” doesn’t really mean that much, but…

Articles - searching the customise site for “articles” gives me three choices, SMF Articles, SimplePortal, TinyPortal
Classifieds - https://www.smfhacks.com/smf-classifieds.php (paid but since paid addons are in scope for XF, they should be for SMF), https://custom.simplemachines.org/index.php?mod=3468
Groups - https://www.smfpacks.com/sg/

But I seriously think half your situation isn’t that you actually care about the tools, I think half of it is that you just want something to moan about.

Do note that I don’t disagree on the subject of the free market needing a kick up the backside. I’m just trying to establish that it isn’t *quite* as depressing as you’re making out and that for plenty of sites, *this is viable*. It’s just not viable *for you*.

 

[Tracy]

Given that I don’t really* know your requirements, becaus saying ”I need articles” doesn’t really mean that much, but…

I think the example given CLEARLY shows the difference between the inadequate examples that you most likely can give me for the "free scripts" and what extensive article creation ability consists of...

But I seriously think half your situation isn’t that you actually care about the tools, I think half of it is that you just want something to moan about.

No, the simple fact is, those "free scripts" you so love to push leave a LOT to be desired when compared to the current extensibility of paid scripts.. .you simply prefer to push your preference (and fantasy belief in the superiority of?) free scripts. You massively fail to show me equivalent "tools" in those free scripts.
Your "classifieds" add-on given for SMF doesn't even have the core features of the one for XenForo (extendability and customization of display)... care to show us any ability for it to show custom created fields or prefixes?

Granted.. it's a decent attempt.. but it STILL falls short due to the inability of it's core script to support certain features/functions. Basically... BOTH examples you provided fall FAR short of the ability of what you were given.

As for the "groups" add-on you provided.. once more, severely lacking when in comparison.

You were given CLEAR examples... yet you STILL haven't given equivalent alternatives on the "mighty" ability of free scripts. The fact remains.. there is MORE interest in extending PAID scripts than extending (frequently at a end user cost) those scripts that are free to use... the basic nature of those that use them somewhat defeats the very idea of actually (gasp) paying for something.

Once more.. plain white bread compared to something tastier.

 

[Arantor]

No, that’s not “clear examples” because that’s suggesting that you (and everyone else) needs every single possible feature on offer, which isn’t and hasn’t ever been true.

All we’ve established is that other people have different needs to you and that you like to moan about what you perceive as inadequacies. So these tools dint meet your needs, great, go find ones that do!

 

[Tracy]

No, that’s not “clear examples” because that’s suggesting that you (and everyone else) needs every single possible feature on offer, which isn’t and hasn’t ever been true

Well, considering that you SPECIFICALLY asked ME why I needed them for that... I don't answer for others.. I simply gave you clear concise answer to your direct question.
Because you choose to read more into that.. that is TOTALLY on you. But that is an issue that you appear to suffer from.