Phorum 3.4



Phorum, open source, good and simple forum solution



Phorum is a freeware and open source forum software designed towards simplicity and packed with addons for different functionalities. This specific forum software is fairly new in relation with phpbb or mybb alternatives however it is quite promising in stability and security. As usual, it is based on Apache/IIS, MySQL and PHP so you will need these components installed as well on either your development PC or your hosting server. Overall, this forum solution is designed towards simplicity and after normal installation allows users to enrich it by installing any additional modules they need. This ensures a larger user base as most likely people are searching for different features in a forum. On the developer website users can find pretty much everything they need to get this application up and running in the shortest time possible. There is a demo for those wanting to give it a try before installing it and get a taste of what to come. The forum can be installed both on Windows and Linux OS with the same templates and modules. Additional info on what is available can be found on the community forum available to the users. As help, detailed tutorials are available for administrators, users and also developers along with a comprehensive FAQ. Now let us proceed with the impressions we have made on installation, configuration and usage of this piece of software.

Phorum

First of all, the Installation. This is fairly simple and very similar with all other forum software available. Once the appropriate package has been downloaded from the developer website (either zip or tar.gz/bz2 depending on your OS), prepare the Apache and PHP/MySQL installations and have them ready before proceeding with Phorum. WE have used the XAMPP bundle in our review to make it as simple as possible with the configuration. The installation tutorial is available with the zipped file so you can go through the installation steps directly from there. We created a dedicated database for the application in MySQL and had the details for it ready. After unzipping the file, rename the directory to whatever you wish and copy it over in the root path of your web server domain. The application can be installed in either the root folder or in a subdirectory depending on your needs. Typically, the installation is made into a forum or forums folder inside the root one. After the files have been copied over, just rename the include/db/config.php.sample to include/db/config.php and open the forum/admin.php file to begin the installation process. Remember to fill in the details for the database that was created before. We have chosen to go ahead with the default installation until completion.

Forum setup and management. This part is also quite straightforward. Once the installation is complete, you will be presented with the administration area and forum administration area. On the forum administration area the admin login is made in the same way as a normal user. Each thread has move, merge, edit, hide and delete topic / posts. Control Center allows other settings like password changing, profile options changing and file management. In the installation administration area, the settings are on the left and each opens additional setup options on the right. We have the Main Menu, Global Settings, Forums, Users, Groups and Maintenance as sections. Inside these, other tabs can be accessed with specific settings. These also are not different from other popular forum in setup but seem to make a bit more flow and sense when managing them.

Perhaps this package is not the best solution of forum available for someone wanting to build up his business quickly and is in need of a more complex forum solution, however it can be a good contender for beginners, small and offices and fixed orientated forums.



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Users Rating:  
  4.1/5     272
Editor Rating:  
  4.0/5
Downloads: 40,257
Updated At: 2024-03-26
Publisher: brianlmoon
Operating System: Linux, Mac, Windows
License Type: Free