Choosing The Best Forum Software

dvdfan

Not too sure if this is the correct forum but i couldnt find anything suitable. feel free to move it if theres a better spot.

Im trying to find a good forum software. It dosent have to be free and the most important things will be reliability & speed. Since it will primarily be a support forum things like banning ip addresses etc isnt so important but any features that make tracking and supporting easier would be great.

The one thing im unsure on though is the hosting. Ive had websites etc hosted before but ideally id like to just pay for the software and not to have to worry about finding a host and configuring settings, id like it to be as easy as possible. Saying that if hosting yourself is the best way to go so be it.

So it seem Vbulletin looks like the best out there, from what i read phbbb is pretty good and free but vunerable to hacking. Is Vbulletin the way to go so and whats the cost like.

Also since i dont have any computer languages will i run into many problems and if i do where do i find support? Any help is appreciated

Thanks

AlmightyCushion

Moved from Comp & Tech.

Rollo Tamasi

vBulletin is the best paid for solution.
They have an excellent support forum on vBulletin.com and on vBulletin.org.
You don't need any programming knowledge to set it up, to modify it, etc.
All plugins and extensions come with readme instructions and they're generally all very easy to follow.
There are different types of pricing for VBulletin, it depends on what you want to do.
If the pricing is an issue for you, you can create a free PHPBB forum and then migrate your database to vBulletin if your forum becomes more popular and you're looking for a better forum solution.
You're better off hosting vBulletin yourself if you are serious about it.
You will need a basic Linux hosting package (PHP/MYSQL/APACHE) in order to install and run vBulletin.

dvdfan

Cheers Rollo, very Helpful.

Whats involved with the hosting. I just choose a standard Linux hosting plan, get the settings and configure them in the Vbulletin settings. Is that basically it?

Rollo Tamasi

Pretty much.
A standard hosting plan should not cost more than 80 euro for the year (depending on where you go of course).
After purchasing hosting, you then need to upload your vBulletin files to your hosting account using FTP.
You then need to create a MYSQL database via your hosting control panel
You then run the vBulletin installation, it asks for your MYSQL settings during the installation process amongst other settings.
It's all pretty straight forward. Shouldn't take more than a hour if it's your first time.

dvdfan

Cheers Rollo,

One more thing, i presume ill need to also have a domain name or is one appointed by default through vbulletin or something like v.bulletin.mycompany.com

I have a domain name already and hosting plan already, i didnt choose them btw so im not sure if the hosting is reliable and fast but if i do use that domain and hosting can i just set it up so the forum is found at www.mycompany.com/forum ?

Lastly if i do choose PhpBB is it the same setup as in ill need to find a domain name and hosting company?

Rollo Tamasi

dvdfan wrote: »

I have a domain name already and hosting plan already, i didnt choose them btw so im not sure if the hosting is reliable and fast but if i do use that domain and hosting can i just set it up so the forum is found at www.mycompany.com/forum ?

Yes. Create a folder called forum via your hosting package and upload the VB files into that directory.

dvdfan wrote: »

Lastly if i do choose PhpBB is it the same setup as in ill need to find a domain name and hosting company?

Yes. Same exact setup. PHPBB and VB have the same requirements as one another.

regi

SMF seems quite nice (and free) too.