Tired of your favorite link shortening service not listening to your demands, or maybe you have a better idea for a link shortening service?  This is where YOURLS comes into the picture.  Wearing it’s spandex tights of freedom, it will let you use the power of PHP to roll down own link shortening service.

Some of the features include:

• Public (everybody can create short links) or private (your links only)
• Random (sequential) or custom URL keyword
• Track click count on your links
• Neat AJAXed interface
• Developer API

The requirements are pretty lean too:

• A server with mod_rewrite enabled
• At least PHP 4.3
• At least MYSQL 4.1

Once you get it up and running, you can even use it in connection with your own WordPress install so you can generate short URLs using your service for each new post or page. 

The bottom line is, if you want to roll your own TinyURL, this script provides the easiest way to get that done.  Download it and give it a shot at yourl.org.

A fast and lightweight PHP-powered set of forums, PunBB is a script you may not have heard much about but I can promise it is well worth looking into.  The goal of this script is to be faster, smaller and less graphically overpowering in comparison with other forum scripts out there.  That alone makes it a good option if you are on a shared web hosting account.

The requirements to get PunBB are fairly light too:

• A webserver (preferably Apache).
• PHP 4.1.0 or later (PHP 5 included).
• MySQL 3.23.17 or later, PostgreSQL 7.0 or later or SQLite.

To install, all you need to do is upload the script to the location you want it on your web hosting account, and then run the install.php from the forum’s root directory, then follow the on screen instructions.

One thing I don’t like is the fact that they have various versions of the script to download from the main page.  You have PunBB 1.3 and PunBB 1.2.  This is an annoyance for me with several scripts out there.  Personally I like just having one download link with the latest version right there in front of my face.

PunBB is also extendable.  After you install it, you can take your choice of which extensions you want.  They can do anything from giving you a CAPTCHA to register and post to adding poll-like features.

Give PunBB a shot.  Why?  Well, as they put it because less is really more.

Bonus -  be sure to check out our other free forum script reviews!

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:

• Comprehensive template system.
• Advanced permission and user management.
• Supports multiple languages at once.
• Open and well-documented source code.
• Tracking of new and old unread topics, not just from your last visit.
• Designed for optimal performance and scalability.
• Multi-media output.

Here are a few screenshots of it in action.  First we have the administrator interface:

Next, we see how the forums would look after you have installed SMF:

If you are looking for support, there are many ways to ask for help.  You have the FAQs, the SMF community, or searching on your own via their web site.  They also have an online manual which has many of its features and other details documented.

First time users might want to check out how to Install SMF or check through the various converters, so you can go from another forum script (like phpBB, vBulletin, IPB, and others to SMF).

Simple Machines Forum is free to use, and easy to customize.  If you are searching for a forum script of your own, you should definitely give it a shot.

Bonus -  be sure to check out our other free forum script reviews!

I am always looking for great web development resources to share, but this time around I am going to give you a link that also highlights the best of the best when it comes to designer or developer tools.  Corkdump.com is one of the best resource web sites for webmasters.

They provide resources for:

• CSS/XHTML
• JavaScript/AJAX
• Flash/ActionScript
• Photoshop/Illustrator
• Blog Resources
• Design Insperation
• PHP/MySQL

That is not all, but I have to leave you with a few surprises, right?  So if you want a database of some of the best web developer links – check out and bookmark corkdump.com.  You will not be disappointed.

Some of the features of Eggblog are:

• easy to use web-based administration to add, edit and delete news articles
• easy to use web-based configuration to manage your web site settings
• WYSIWYG easy-to-use text editor for publishing or editing news articles
• download themes to easily change the style, layout and colors of your site

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. Facebook Fan Page Come join the fun on the Mitchelaneous Facebook Fan Page!

© Mitch Keeler 2011 | Check out my firefox help site and my hosting podcast too!

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