I'd like opinions for the following programs:

Discus (and Discus pro)
Ultraboard 2000
DCForum

I know about UBB, and I know we all like vBulletin... I'm just poking around at the options.

I particularly like the way UB2k has their board's news thread integrated with their homepage. If that can be done with others, please mention it. :)

All three are really really good options, and mostly have the option of being free (yippee!)

Discus is a breeze to install, though the interface can be a fraction klutzy as compared to some other BBSes - check their forums and you'll see what I mean. The other two are also easy to install and are well worth checking out.

Has Discus gotten easier? When I did it I had to upload every friggin' file to this directory or that directory, and CHMOD the *bleep* out of each one. It was a royal pain in the buttocks! This was *quite* some time ago though...

Unfortunately not, which is where all the documentation comes in handy... ;)

It is well documented, but mannn, compared to vBulletin, whooooo... edit one file, upload, clicky clicky clicky and KAPOW! Ahhhhh, so nice.

Honestly, after checking out the demos and a few other sites using each, I think I'm leaning toward Ultraboard... Don't know yet. Probably won't set it up for a month or so anyhow. (First things first - revamping my site with SSI.)

Hey, I use UB2k, and I like it a lot... They are coming out with some new features on I think Nov 1st. One of the new features is conversion scripts to convert ubb boards to ub2k. The thing i dont like about the new version is under the topic they display the last person to reply, how many pages the topic is, and also how many replies there are...... but I can just turn that feature.

If you want to see my UB2k it is at http://forum.phatpunk.com

Brady

vBulletin is better, no comment further :D

Ever heard of Ceilidh?

Can anyone tell me where to get vBulletin? I'm researching various board options. (And yes, I'm gonna feel REAL stupid if there's a link to their site on these pages.)

Thanks in advance.

http://www.vbulletin.com/

I came across this free board in other forum, maybe you guys can take a look tforum (http://titan.spaceports.com/~typus/tforum/)

Don't get me wrong, I like vBulletin. I think what caught my eye was the Ultraboard's feature of sending private messages between users without needing to expose ones' email address.

The usual purpose of an online forum is the *public* exchange of information. Think carefully about whether you want to use a program that may encourage people to make discussions private and take them off the public part of your board, while you pay for the private message traffic.

Originally posted by Deb Suran
The usual purpose of an online forum is the *public* exchange of information. Think carefully about whether you want to use a program that may encourage people to make discussions private and take them off the public part of your board, while you pay for the private message traffic.

You know something, thats something I never realised. We all, atleast I, tend to forget about the basic purpose of things. Thanx for bringing that point up Deb. :)

well there's wwwthreads which my friend uses... and it includes polls and the news integration also...

wwwhreads is at http://www.wwwthreads.com $100 for non-commercial use

for an example you can see my friends site at http://www.thetechguide.com

I've installed boardpower on a few of my clients websites. It is easy to install and administrate.
http://www.thewebmasterforums.com

It is the best bulletin board software that I've seen that is completely free. It has some interesting features most boards don't have, like a java chat, member private messaging system and polls to add to a discussion.

Plus, one of the writers even has a site where other users create add-ons for the script (you can see the board in action there - bphacking.com (http://www.bphacking.com/cgi-bin/boardpower/boardpower.cgi) ) further enhancing what already is an excellent script. It has a nice admin program to control all aspects of your board too. I read some sour reviews on their older version, but the latest works great. They also have a MySQL version (but this one is a little buggie and not fully functional).

:scatter:

On a different note, since this is a hosting forum, has anyone had experience with jumpworld.net? I signed up for their free plan almost a week ago to get my little design business back on the web, but I haven't heard from them yet. I try to go to their site and I get a Server Not Found error.. are they out of business or something?

I have been running a few Discus boards and their new versions are a snap to install. One click installation is offered by their supported hosts. You can install one yourself with 2 telnet commands and a web interface. Or just use FTP.

The interface takes a little getting used to, but I believe it is one of the most powerful board solutions available for the price....free!

- John Crowley

I like to use Boardpower. It comes in two flavors, flatfile and mySQL. Very easy to install and customize.

It is free.

http://thewebmasterforums.com

John

For me, I prefer customisation. Originally I tried Ceilidh, Discus and a plethora of other boards, and wasn't particularly satisfied with any of them, because I was stuck with the same design that I couldn't do much with. Also, I think you'll find that linear boards are much better than threaded boards - they're easier to follow, and even look a whole lot neater.


[Edited by Lawrence on 11-04-2000 at 08:38 PM]

Originally posted by Lawrence
he has edited his message..

I suggest you read the rules and regulations of this board and edit the message. Thanx

[Edited by kunal on 11-04-2000 at 08:48 PM]

Sorry kunal... I thought that mention was in context and therefore acceptable. But you might want to edit your quote or the message is still there anyway...

I'll hope not to see the Chicken Death Squad.

Originally posted by Lawrence
Sorry kunal... I thought that mention was in context and therefore acceptable. But you might want to edit your quote or the message is still there anyway...

I'll hope not to see the Chicken Death Squad.


hehhe.. now that you have made the changes, the CDS will rest. ;)