[MPDev]

Don't get me wrong, I think Coppermine is one of the better free gallery products out there. I never paid much attention to it until the story about the author going missing was reported and the code was moved into sourceforge. I saw one or two example sites and thought it looked real nice. Fast forward to two weeks ago when someone pointed out some of their "new" features and I see some similiarities to the layout we have.

Keep in mind, we were doing this long before Coppermine was released (and some others).

If you are looking for a free gallery script there are a couple decent ones to choose from - each with it own way of presenting galleries and having your users interact with them. If you are looking for a free product, then Coppermine is a good choice.

If you would like the benefits from a paid gallery - including support, frequent updates and cutting edge features - PhotoPost is a great alternative. I fully expect that our Gallery/Forum templates will be copied soon enough (we offer two templates to display a gallery - see attachment). We have 6 fulltime support people on staff and perform installation services - these are things you don't always get with a free product. Flaming newbes on the coppermine forums seems to be almost a sport.

I've always encouraged people to research their options. I believe PhotoPost to be a value based on the features and support. Others who have more time to invest in modding maybe prefer to start out with something free.