geeky tutorials, tips, guides and reviews
The forum script phpBB might be the king of kings when it comes to free forum scripts. However, the script itself if often susceptible to security problems and hacks due to its success. So, with that said you might be looking for an alternative to this message board suite.
There is nothing wrong with have a few more scripts to choose from, and there are many great forums scripts in the sea. Here are some of the best phpBB alternatives out there.
Ninite makes installing a plethora of new applications really simple. With Windows 7 coming out, or those who feeling the urge to clean out Vista or Windows XP, we are all looking at simpler ways to install a lot of great programs out there. That is what Ninite is all about.
All you have to do is visit their web site, click the check marks for the programs you want to bundle together, start the customized installer, and presto – you are done. They only install the programs you want (no hidden toolbars or spyware). Heck, they don’t even install their own program – they only install the programs you want and need.
Ninite definitely offers a cool way to grab your own bundle of software solutions to install. For more assistance on how to get up and running with your own customized install, check out these articles from Simple Help and the How-to Geek. (also big thanks to Todd for showing my this great free service!)
SMF, or otherwise known as Simple Machines Forum, is a free professional software package that will let you get yourself an online community setup in minutes. I had not heard much about this software till I started working for Lunarpages, since it is what they use to run their forums. Ever since though, I have been sold. It is a powerful, and customizable forum script.
This forum script uses PHP and MySQL to run the backend, so that means that any shared hosting account should be able to host it. Here are a few more features:
Via a request I got via e-mail I recently posted a tutorial for Lunarpages on how to install bbPress onto your run-of-the-mill Linux-based hosting account. I have to say, I had never used bbPress before till then, and I like it a lot.
For those of you who may not recognize the name, bbPress comes from the creators of WordPress. As they make note of via their web site, “bbPress is focused on web standards, ease of use, ease of integration, and speed. We’re focused on keeping things as small and light as possible while still allowing for great add on features through our extensive plugin system.” Think of it as WordPress for forums – but a little less popular than WordPress is today.
You have plugins and themes there too, so you can customize the forums as much or as little as you like. Personally, I kind of liked them how they were via the default install. I am sure though I’d want to add something eventually though, so nice to know the option is there.
If you want to try out the back end and front end demos, head over to OpenSourceCMS.com. They have a working demo of both up for you to tinker with and see if you like it or not. Those who have used WordPress before will be greated with a very familiar interface. You can download bbPress or get more information at bbPress.org.
Bonus - be sure to check out our other free forum script reviews!
If you are in the search for a PHP-powered blogging application that gives you an easy gateway into running a blog, online diary or even a complete web page – Serendipity is a free script worth checking out.
Looking over the fresh install instructions, the process looks pretty straight forward. You upload, configure and get your blog going. Some of the features include (but are not limited to):
Here is a little more about the blogging script from the developers:
Serendipity is a PHP-powered weblog application which gives the user an easy way to maintain an online diary, weblog or even a complete homepage. While the default package is designed for the casual blogger, Serendipity offers a flexible, expandable and easy-to-use framework with the power for professional applications.
There is also full support for both themes and plugins. So extending Serendipity is an option, if you need a few more tools at your fingertips. Also, be sure to check out the demo hosted over on OpenSourceCMS.com.
Want to know more? Check out the FAQ. I would highly recommend Serendipity to anybody looking for an alternative to MovableType or WordPress.
A “state of the art blogging solution” is how LifeType describes themselves. For me, they were filed in the drawer labeled “blogging engines I had never heard of”. It does a good job at covering all the blogging basics.
They have ping and trackback, RSS, blogroll, permalinks, and come reading for moblogging too.
How easy is it to install? The installation process looks pretty straight forward. Should be good to go on any Linux-based hosting setup with MySQL database support.
LifeType also has a very interesting history, as described by their about page:
The LifeType project started in February 2003 when its leader, Oscar Renalias, needed a set of dynamic scripts for his personal web page. Even though he did not know about the idea of weblogs back then, the outcome of the first iteration of the project already resembled one. A few weeks later Francesc, another one of the founding members, suggested that developing a blog with support for multiple users and blogs could be a better idea, and so pLog 0.1 was released on the 2nd of September 2003 featuring most of the features that are still part of the core features nowadays: multi-user and multi-blog from the ground up, template engine, localizable and extensible via plugins.
It seems it was also known as pLog for some time, but they had to drop the name due to trademark concern with Amazon.
Here are a few more links you may wish to have handy:
If you want to give it a whirl before you install, you can try out the admin and user interface demo over at OpenSourceCMS.
LifeType’s biggest feature is that they support multiple blogs and users in a single installation. You can download LifeType via their web site, and if you have had any experience with it, I would love to hear your feedback. Is it really the state of the art blogging solution it claims to be?
While a little light on documentation, Eggblog looks to be a nice alternative blogging script for those of you who might not want to follow the fold and use WordPress or one of the other more popular solutions out there.
Some of the features of Eggblog are:
I also like the forum feature, which is simple – yet unique. You can check it out (with examples) on Eggblog’s own web site. Check Eggblog out in action here:
The installation process looks pretty easy. You download it, edit the configuration files, and then you are done. They also have an installation guide to help you along the way. The server requirements are lightweight too. You only need to have a fairly modern version of PHP, MySQL, and the PHP-GD library. There are a number of different themes you can use too, just in case your not happy with the default one.
If you want to check out a demo of the script in action, be sure to visit this page for the login details. Eggblog might not have all the features that a script like WordPress might have, but it is a nice alternative if you want to move away from the fold.
There are a lot of blogging tools out there under the sun. One that does not get much credit, but I think is pretty nice is Dotclear. An open-source web publishing software, Dotclear has been around since 2002. The project’s purpose is to provide a user-friendly tool allowing anyone to publish on the web, regardless of their technical skills.
Some of the features included in Dotclear are:
You can read more about the many features of Dotclear over on their features page. Did I mention they promise you can get it up and running in a minute too?
One minute install from Dotclear on Vimeo.
If performance is your main concern, Dotclear is fast. It promises to be as responsive as possible, no mater the quantity of the blog. Need some help to get it going? They provide a pretty nice documentation guide to go along with as you customize it to fit your own needs.
Since it will not cost you a thing, Dotclear is definitely worth checking out.
Thus far I have to say that WordPress 2.6 looks like a pretty awesome upgrade. Just did a few upgrades myself, but haven’t had time yet to play with everything that is new…
I’m happy to announce that version 2.6 of WordPress.org is now available, almost a month ahead schedule. Version 2.6 “Tyner,” named for jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, contains a number of new features that make WordPress a more powerful CMS: you can now track changes to every post and page and easily post from wherever you are on the web, plus there are dozens of incremental improvements to the features introduced in version 2.5.
Also here are some of the improvements, updates and upgrades:
You can read more (and watch a video tour) from WordPress.org about it here:
http://wordpress.org/development/2008/07/wordpress-26-tyner/
You can download WordPress 2.6 here:
http://wordpress.org/download/
Also looks like somebody has already found the easter egg in it too.
For those of you using cPanel/Fantastico to manage your install and upgrades, the upgrade for you might not come for a couple of more weeks. Are you excited about WordPress 2.6 yet?
So you want to get up and going with your own WordPress powered web site, but you are afraid of installing it on your own? Thankfully there are a few ways you can get it installed without having to left a finger FTP client.
One solution would be to look and see if your web host has Fantastico installed. Via this cPanel addon you could have WordPress auto-install for you. Just login to your cPanel, and then go down to Fantastico and then find WordPress in the left navigation bar. Follow the on screen instructions and your set.
The second option would be to let the people at Install4Free do it for you. This is a team of volunteers who offer expert installs of WordPress for anybody who wants one. Now passing over your login details to your hosting account might seem like a bad idea but I have heard nothing but positive reviews of them thus far.
For me the WordPress install process has not ever been to difficult. I could see though where some people may be intimidated by it though. If there was third option I would suggest trying to install it yourself first.
Subscribe to our e-mail newsletter to receive updates.
Mitch Keeler is nothing more than your average Joe trying to leave his mark on the world though both his professional work and his online projects, articles, podcasts and more.
