New Site
 

So im making a new site, but I dont have the money for another vb, so I was wondering what is the best free forum system out there. Im thinking PhPbb, what do you guys think?

If you can't afford another vBulletin license then I'd recommend SMF.

phpbb2

Our second site is also SMF and it is pretty good and easy to use. We are using it until that forum becomes more active, then we will get a second VB.

MyBB...

Try eBlah, was the 1st software i used and the support forum is brill condisering its free software

I would recommend you save money until you can buy another vBulletin license, if not then SMF, I have have several phpBB boards phpbb-rpg and they are continually hacked and hard to update if heavily modified and I am in the process of switching them all over to vBulletin.


Cheers,

_V

You must be using very old version then, as last security issue that could cause forum to be hacked was found more than 2 years ago. People are always complaining about phpbb being hacked, but then they install few years old version using fantastico or any other auto installer because they are very lazy to install normal version themselves.

Hard to update? There is a code changes list for every release, and it is in easily readable text form. Every vBulletin update has much more code changes than all phpBB 2 updates within a year, and doesn't provide any code changes.

Then you are using phpbb-rpg, not phpBB, so don't blame phpBB for bugs and problems of third party overmodded version. Its not phpBB you are using.

Back to topic: I suggest to go with phpBB 2. Its stable and safe, if you keep up to date, but don't forget to install some anti-spam mod. There is an upgrade script from phpBB 2 to vBulletin, so you can upgrade whenever you'll get money for vb license.

phpBB is simply too popular and too easily spammed if you don't have the time/patience to wade through it's documentation and mod it to a decent degree.

I threw up a domain for a friend's band recently, about 3 months ago. They installed phpBB, and within a month the spam-bots had completely taken over auto-registering and auto-posting on the board, to the point of 10-15 new users per hour on a VERY new domain. I've modded phpBB in the past and while there are indeed some decent add-ons out there for it, it's mod system and communities are nothing like vB's.

My advice is that unless you can devote a decent amount of time to it making it spam-proof, shy away from PHPBB.

CyberAlien:

I am using phpbb as fact, and its always updated to the latest version, so don't presume to tell me what’s what or what I am using please, and contrary to your belief the very latest stock version of phpbb gets hacked, allot.

Chris-777:
I have also had major Spam problems with my phpBB boards.

So to the original poster, I put in my option and my experience with the 2 boards I have used, take it for what you will, best of luck with whatever you decide.

Cheers,

_V

Nope. I've been working with phpBB for about 4-5 years, all forums that I've seen being hacked are ones using phpBB 2.0.12 or older version. Unlike you, I'm not just another phpBB user, I'm designing styles and writing mods for it, and I have lots of clients so I do know what is and what isn't getting hacked.

Please stop spreading baseless rumors. If you are saying latest phpBB is getting hacked, provide a proof (point to a forum that is hacked, or exploit, or any other reliable proof, not to some newbie forum admin's clueless post), which you can't do.

I'm not some newbie forum Admin I designed that style so I'm not just another php user either and I don't care much for your personal attacks, I'll also post whatever option I have on something I want to, so if you want to push the phpBB product and your obvious plug about your work, fine do it, but I don't need some Nazi telling me what I think or can say about the software I have used and put up with for for over 5 years.


http://www.phpbb.com/community/searc...ed&fid%5B%5D=1


_V

...yet your forums run under vbulletin... ;)

Its just one of my forums, I have more than one. You can check http://www.phpbbstyles.com
Which proves my point. Look at version numbers of those hacked forums. There are loads of those reports because phpBB is the most used forum software in the world, its the simpliest to install and administrate, so most of newbie forum admins use it. I've never seen an up to date forum being hacked (that is after 2.0.13 release). Some admins fail to update - they just think if they run sql update script forum is updated, and forget about updating files (so control panel shows they are using latest version, but their php files aren't latest), some are using some autoinstallers that their host never bothered to update for few years.

vBulletin is used by serious forums, admins of those forums won't be using 2 years old outdated versions, so even if there would be some exploit for vBulletin, everyone would update and noone would get hacked. But phpBB is a different story, because it is being used by clueless admins who don't know that they should keep their forum up to date, or don't know how to do it. These clueless admins are the ones that are being hacked. Its not phpBB software fault that some admins don't know how to update their forums, even though there are simpliest update instructions ever, much simplier than vbulletin updates.