[Web4lib] phpBB Alternative

[Rick Mason]

One site that can be helpful is Open Source CMS, which lets you try out 
a variety of freshly-installed programs (re-installed every two hours) 
so that you can see how the design and admin controls work without 
having to install each yourself.  They currently have about 20 forums on 
their site.  I am not sure how many fit your requirement #1, but I 
suspect most will.

http://www.opensourcecms.com/

Hope this helps!

Rick

Cloutman, David wrote:
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I have a need to set up a forum for my Library's summer reading. We are
> hosting it internally on our Library's application server. I have
> installed phpBB, which seems to be the most popular tool for this. My
> problem is that I don't think phpBB is all that great. The more I use
> it, the more I hate it. I find the interface confusing, and I think our
> users may have problems with it as well. I'm particularly concerned
> about the Librarians who will have to moderate the posts. I don't want
> to have to do a formal training session on what really needs to be a
> quick and dirty solution.
>
> I am looking for a forum tool that:
>
> 1. Runs on PHP / MySQL OR JSP / MySQL / Tomcat and is easy to install.
> 2. Has a really simple interface.
> 3. Has a obvious mechanism for changing the branding of the masthead.
> 4. Has enough granularity in the security sytem to allow for registered
> users / moderators / administrators.
> 5. Permits the administrator to require approval of posts.
> 6. Has a really simple interface. (Yes, I said that twice.)
>
> Any recommendations or library success stories would be much
> appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> - David
> ---
> David Cloutman <dcloutman at co.marin.ca.us>
> Electronic Services Librarian
> Marin County Free Library 
>
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