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Best Free Forum Software?
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Best Free Forum Software?

1) What, in your opinion is the best free forum software?

2) Do you know someone good at forum software I could hire to transform an old vBulletin forum to a new free forum software?

3) Who is the least expensive PHP freelance coder that you know of?

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Comments

  • Do you have a data integrity plan for the PASSWORD and other credentials first?

  • Flarum.

    While still in Beta it's quite stable and NPM gives it a lot of wiggle room.

    Thanked by 1Offshore_Solutions
  • yoursunnyyoursunny Member, IPv6 Advocate

    I've been using DVBBS since 2006.
    It works well on ASP shared hosting running in pirated Windows 98, and it can use Access database so that I don't need to buy SQL Server.

    If I forget password, I can get it through SQL injection.
    If I need server access, I can upload an ASP Trojan horse and run commands as Administrator.

    ASP hosting is hard to find nowadays, but https://mzunguhosting.ml/ still has some and their network is very fast.

  • Jona4sJona4s Member
    edited March 2021

    PHP + https://mzunguhosting.ml/ should give you the highest performance.

    As for hiring PHP computer science engineers, I'm afraid they are so smart you'd have to spend some millions for their Wordpress highly technical knowledge.

  • @DataGizmos said:
    Do you have a data integrity plan for the PASSWORD and other credentials first?

    HAHA 😄
    Yes

  • I am the least expensive freelance coder I know. I charge £1 per hour. But I can't code.

    Thanked by 1jetchirag
  • edited March 2021

    @serv_ee said:
    Flarum.

    While still in Beta it's quite stable and NPM gives it a lot of wiggle room.

    What is the link for NPM forum software?

    How do you feel about Simple Machines Forum? https://simplemachines.org/

  • Smf powers servedez.com

    Never had issue. Love every bit of it.

  • serv_eeserv_ee Member
    edited March 2021

    @Offshore_Solutions said:

    @serv_ee said:
    Flarum.

    While still in Beta it's quite stable and NPM gives it a lot of wiggle room.

    What is the link for NPM forum software?

    How do you feel about Simple Machines Forum? https://simplemachines.org/

    npm isn't a standalone forum software.

    For me personally SMF, phpBB etc are all so outdated it's hurting me more than them lol.

    Havent looked too much into SMF lately but for phpbb...it's bland, like really bland. Milk v2 theme tries to do something about it but...it's lacking for todays age.

    Thanked by 1Offshore_Solutions
  • 10301030 Member

    discuz.net

    Thanked by 1yoursunny
  • edited March 2021

    @serv_ee said:
    While still in Beta it's quite stable and NPM gives it a lot of wiggle room.

    npm isn't a standalone forum software.

    How much do you charge to transfer an old vBulletin forum with database problems to NPM?

    How do I find the NPM website?

  • @Offshore_Solutions said:

    @serv_ee said:
    While still in Beta it's quite stable and NPM gives it a lot of wiggle room.

    npm isn't a standalone forum software.

    How much do you charge to transfer an old vBulletin forum with database problems to NPM?

    How do I find the NPM website?

    Again, npm is not any specific forum software, what you are looking for is flarum.org

    And I'm not charging anything as I won't do it.

  • @serv_ee said:

    @Offshore_Solutions said:

    @serv_ee said:
    While still in Beta it's quite stable and NPM gives it a lot of wiggle room.

    npm isn't a standalone forum software.

    How much do you charge to transfer an old vBulletin forum with database problems to NPM?

    How do I find the NPM website?

    Again, npm is not any specific forum software, what you are looking for is flarum.org

    And I'm not charging anything as I won't do it.

    where can i find this npm forum you speak of

    Thanked by 1webcraft
  • I have been using Flarum and Discourse.

    But ofc... Vanilla

    Thanked by 1Offshore_Solutions
  • duckeeyuckduckeeyuck Member
    edited March 2021

    OP PLEASE LISTEN

    I HAVE TRIED AND MODDED SO MUCH FORUM SOFTWARE, IT'S CRAZY

    Fuck anything anybody else says:

    best thing ever is discourse, hands down, you CAN'T BEAT THIS. It has a lot of SHIT YOUR PANTS type features/plugins/integrations be it for creating discussion or managing a company/blog w/e
    paid: ipb/xenforo/vb (still lesser than discourse despit being 'premium')

    js: nodebb (A+++++++++++++ GREAT EBAYER WOULD BUY AGAIN )

    else: fluxbb/flarum/vanilla/smf/phpbb are the only things you want to look at, anything else and you're really into niches.

  • @sdglhm said:
    I have been using Flarum and Discourse.

    But ofc... Vanilla

    Of the two, which do you prefer and why?

    What software does Lowendtalk use?

  • duckeeyuckduckeeyuck Member
    edited March 2021

    For an import where there isn't a public importer available, but you're looking at at least 100$ because flarum is still "new" (despite being a few years old), one of the main developers is the primary developers of fluxbb (fork from punbb) just does this for a hobby, for real, flarum is still "experimental" until they decide to stop playing. So don't expect a public importer anytime soon, until they settle down and release at least v1.0

    @Offshore_Solutions said: 3) Who is the least expensive PHP freelance coder that you know of?

    You'll never find somebody who does the job with this mentality, think of a fixed price and find someone willing to work under that, hustle if you want,
    But to export/import a forum.....
    You need to know how both db/forums work, there is no school for forums, you need to examine source/db before you start developing an importer :/

    Thanked by 1bulbasaur
  • @duckeeyuck said:
    OP PLEASE LISTEN

    I HAVE TRIED AND MODDED SO MUCH FORUM SOFTWARE, IT'S CRAZY

    Fuck anything anybody else says:

    best thing ever is discourse, hands down, you CAN'T BEAT THIS. It has a lot of SHIT YOUR PANTS type features/plugins/integrations be it for creating discussion or managing a company/blog w/e
    paid: ipb/xenforo/vb (still lesser than discourse despit being 'premium')

    js: nodebb (A+++++++++++++ GREAT EBAYER WOULD BUY AGAIN )

    else: fluxbb/flarum/vanilla/smf/phpbb are the only things you want to look at, anything else and you're really into niches.

    You got my attention @duckeeyuck and thank you 😊

    If you're willing to convert some 2005 vBulletin to Discourse, please private message me how much you charge.

  • @Offshore_Solutions said: Of the two, which do you prefer and why?

    Discourse. Simply because it's much more refined and I'm comfortable with Ruby since it's my go to language.

    Requires a little bit more horse power to run and you need a VPS. Harder to run as a example.com/forum (Did it anyways for the lolz) but overall good plugin+theme system also. All the things are there for you to run a forum without installing any plugins.

    @Offshore_Solutions said: What software does Lowendtalk use?

    Vanilla. But a bit customised IIRC.

    Thanked by 1Offshore_Solutions
  • edited March 2021

    @sdglhm said:

    @Offshore_Solutions said: What software does Lowendtalk use?

    Vanilla. But a bit customised IIRC.

    WOW! I just looked up the price of Vanilla Forum and, besides the free trial version, the low tier plan, Business – is $689/month! (essential community platform)

    Does LET & LES really pay $689/month to Vanilla? Maybe they have leveraged some special pricing?

    Business Plan Specifications

    5 staff users
    250k monthly page views
    Public or private community
    Unlimited members
    Moderation
    jsConnect SSO
    SuccessTeam
    Gamification

  • skorupionskorupion Member, Host Rep
    edited March 2021

    @Offshore_Solutions said:

    @sdglhm said:

    @Offshore_Solutions said: What software does Lowendtalk use?

    Vanilla. But a bit customised IIRC.

    WOW! I just looked up the price of Vanilla Forum and, besides the free trial version, the low tier plan, Business – is $689/month! (essential community platform)

    Does LET & LES really pay $689/month to Vanilla? Maybe they have leveraged some special pricing?

    Business Plan Specifications

    5 staff users
    250k monthly page views
    Public or private community
    Unlimited members
    Moderation
    jsConnect SSO
    SuccessTeam
    Gamification

    NO, they use the open source version
    https://open.vanillaforums.com/

  • edited March 2021

    @skorupion said:

    @Offshore_Solutions said:

    @sdglhm said:

    @Offshore_Solutions said: What software does Lowendtalk use?

    Vanilla. But a bit customised IIRC.

    WOW! I just looked up the price of Vanilla Forum and, besides the free trial version, the low tier plan, Business – is $689/month! (essential community platform)

    Does LET & LES really pay $689/month to Vanilla? Maybe they have leveraged some special pricing?

    Business Plan Specifications

    5 staff users
    250k monthly page views
    Public or private community
    Unlimited members
    Moderation
    jsConnect SSO
    SuccessTeam
    Gamification

    NO, they use the open source version
    https://open.vanillaforums.com/

    Ohhhhhhh, that makes more sense

  • DataIdeas-JoshDataIdeas-Josh Member, Patron Provider

    phpbb?

    Thanked by 1Offshore_Solutions
  • LordSpockLordSpock Member, Host Rep

    What version of vBulletin exactly are you running?

    I can almost guarantee that if your forum is of any reasonable size and you want it migrating to another platform (especially a free one) professionally, it'll set you back quite a bit.

    I have had excellent experiences migrating vB3/4 to XenForo and their importers are probably the best you can get without paying someone to migrate your forum.

    If you must keep your data 100% intact, vBulletin 5 is the best option... but vBulletin 5 is very unfortunate.

    MyBB has a "Merge System" that could be worth trying if you aren't willing to spend a penny, but I would highly reccomend considering a commercial solution.

    Discourse, Vanilla, etc. are really good and how forums should probably operate in the modern day but your users will probably not like such a big change in the user experience, and if I can guess at all - if your community has been on vB3 for this long, they are very allergic to change (or just lazy administrators who pushed the problem down the road until it was too late).

    Thanked by 1Offshore_Solutions
  • LeviLevi Member

    It is years now for vB5. Isn't it got better?

    Thanked by 1Offshore_Solutions
  • NetDynamics24NetDynamics24 Member, Host Rep

    I am using SMF for decades (YaBB). Highly recommended.

    Thanked by 1Offshore_Solutions
  • WebProjectWebProject Host Rep, Veteran

    MyBB forum is dated now and their theme is designed for desktop users only. Vanilla or phpBB better.

    We have a few projects of migration MyBB to Vanilla in past and the importer script required to be modified as stops for various error half the way through migration process.

    Thanked by 1Offshore_Solutions
  • Yes, why not stick to vB? If you don't have too many add-ons it's still great.

    Thanked by 1Offshore_Solutions
  • LordSpockLordSpock Member, Host Rep

    @LTniger said:
    It is years now for vB5. Isn't it got better?

    Nope! Still trash compared to everything at the same price point and even compared to vB3/vB4.

    @webcraft said:
    Yes, why not stick to vB? If you don't have too many add-ons it's still great.

    I assume they are on vB3/vB4 which doesn't even support PHP 7.2.
    You can work to make it compatible with future versions of PHP (vBulletin themselves have an internal version of vB3 that works with PHP 7.4, but that'll never be public), but sooner or later it'll fall over and nobody will be willing to fix it.

    @WebProject said:
    MyBB forum is dated now and their theme is designed for desktop users only. Vanilla or phpBB better.

    We have a few projects of migration MyBB to Vanilla in past and the importer script required to be modified as stops for various error half the way through migration process.

    I disagree that MyBB is dated - they have a much more regular update schedule than phpBB and whilst their default theme leaves quite a lot to be desired, there are tons of very good, free responsive themes for MyBB that work just fine.

    Vanilla would be better, but is a huge leap for a forum running vBx for so long.

    Thanked by 1Offshore_Solutions
  • edited March 2021

    @LordSpock said:
    If you must keep your data 100% intact, vBulletin 5 is the best option... but vBulletin 5 is very unfortunate.

    WOW! You guessed it right that the forum was on vBulletin v3 this whole time. Great guess and thanks for posting. Please will you let me know why v5 is very unfortunate?

    I read that vBulletin's support for v3 will end and that made me decide to migrate.

    @WebProject said:
    We have a few projects of migration MyBB to Vanilla in past and the importer script required to be modified as stops for various error half the way through migration process.

    Exactly the same experience here! We settled on Vanilla and there are quite a few data problems with the current database in migrating to Vanilla. For example, the date of birth in vBulletin is 0, which Vanilla doesn't like. I ended up hiring a very good developer to work on fixing it field by field but there's a lot to fix and it will take another week.

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