Simple Scripts

jaily · #1 04-25-2008, 06:03 PM

One of the hosting companys I currently use, installed simple scripts, I absolutely love it,

give it a try guys, Its much better then fantastico

http://www.simplescripts.com/?p=webhost

Sam · #2 04-25-2008, 06:11 PM

You know the one thing that put me off that? It's made by BlueHost.

whatrevolution · #3 04-25-2008, 06:14 PM

I'll sign on to this suggestion, as well. I was sold when I realized they include PunBB, which is the BBS every newbie should start with (and most should stick with it).

#4 04-25-2008, 07:05 PM

Agreed, PunBB is very nice board.

Rockoids · #5 04-25-2008, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatrevolution

I'll sign on to this suggestion, as well. I was sold when I realized they include PunBB, which is the BBS every newbie should start with (and most should stick with it).

I think it's a little too elementary as far as I'm concerned. And phpBB doesn't impress me either, although it's popular, possibly because every host on the planet seems to offer it.

I think MyBB is far more full-featured than these two (try to find a Calendar for phpBB 3 for example and you'll see what I mean).

Check our my iteration of MyBB at www.theparacast.com/forums on our dedicated server here. We've got 15 mods on it (the Calendar is standard), and we can make it do lots of stuff with a really simple admin interface.

And, unlike vBulletin, the commercial message board software, MyBB doesn't need the latest and greatest MySQL and PHP and a caching utility that might not be compatible with other PHP apps.

whatrevolution · #6 04-25-2008, 09:37 PM

Personally, I'm not worried about "full features" in a message board. Any forum which does more than a forum is not a forum, it is something else. A bulletin board system doesn't need a calendar. At most, you need a programmer to write a bridge between the user account databases... and that's rather easy.

Besides, PunBB is simply the best BB core I've looked at; by which I mean, I look at and understand the code, and to hell with the supposed features.

Oh, and if you want "features", don't look at BB. Look at CMS. In fact, just go use Dragonfly CMS. They're all in one, and do a damn good job of it, so far as that goes. They're also, for programmers, a very good example of why not to do what they have done.

jaily · #7 04-28-2008, 01:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam

You know the one thing that put me off that? It's made by BlueHost.

interesting...

Rockoids · #8 04-28-2008, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatrevolution

Personally, I'm not worried about "full features" in a message board. Any forum which does more than a forum is not a forum, it is something else. A bulletin board system doesn't need a calendar. At most, you need a programmer to write a bridge between the user account databases... and that's rather easy.

Besides, PunBB is simply the best BB core I've looked at; by which I mean, I look at and understand the code, and to hell with the supposed features.

Oh, and if you want "features", don't look at BB. Look at CMS. In fact, just go use Dragonfly CMS. They're all in one, and do a damn good job of it, so far as that goes. They're also, for programmers, a very good example of why not to do what they have done.

It needs a calendar if you want to be able to post announcements of upcoming events in a simple format.

How about a customized Contact page?

PunBB may be well-programmed, but people who run these forums want certain features for themselves and their members, and if the forum software doesn't have it, you look to one that does.

Rockoids · #9 04-28-2008, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaily

interesting...

So what! It actually has a feature that allows individuals to install scripts on their sites, regardless of host. It may not have as many scripts as Fantastico -- at least not yet -- but they keep tabs on updates more efficiently and, based on my brief encounters, it works just great.

whatrevolution · #10 04-28-2008, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockoids

It needs a calendar if you want to be able to post announcements of upcoming events in a simple format.

How about a customized Contact page?

... I've tried about 5 times to respond to this without insulting you, and I can't do it. I think your statement is the embodiment of why I'm unable to reuse so much of the code available today.

A forum is a forum. A calendar is a calendar. A page is a page. These things can be integrated properly, and easily, by the right person for the job. If you need your forum to be a website in and of itself, despite every other tool at your disposal, then I feel sorry for that and hope never to be your admin.

Rockoids · #11 04-28-2008, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatrevolution

... I've tried about 5 times to respond to this without insulting you, and I can't do it. I think your statement is the embodiment of why I'm unable to reuse so much of the code available today.

This is not a question of whether the code is easily reused, but whether the forum software is easy to set up, administer and contains the features you need for your site and your forum members. Period!

No insults necessary.

If you want to just rejigger the code, you might have other priorities.

whatrevolution · #12 04-28-2008, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockoids

This is not a question of whether the code is easily reused, but whether the forum software is easy to set up, administer and contains the features you need for your site and your forum members. Period!

No insults necessary.

If you want to just rejigger the code, you might have other priorities.

Definately no insults necessary, I just couldn't find a truly nice way to say it, and saying nothing didn't sit well either, so I digressed and went for it.

Reuse is a huge concern for those of us who build beyond available features of existing software. Otherwise, there would either be no programmers, or we wouldn't accomplish squat.

Feature-creep is a plague. It is perfectly reasonable, and possible, to have the functionality you need without rebuilding every concept and design pattern for every piece of software you use, within every environment in which the feature could exist.

The point was actually this: The calendar and contact page can be part of the forum pages without that code being written directly into the forum product.

Rockoids · #13 04-28-2008, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatrevolution

Definately no insults necessary, I just couldn't find a truly nice way to say it, and saying nothing didn't sit well either, so I digressed and went for it.

Reuse is a huge concern for those of us who build beyond available features of existing software. Otherwise, there would either be no programmers, or we wouldn't accomplish squat.

Feature-creep is a plague. It is perfectly reasonable, and possible, to have the functionality you need without rebuilding every concept and design pattern for every piece of software you use, within every environment in which the feature could exist.

The point was actually this: The calendar and contact page can be part of the forum pages without that code being written directly into the forum product.

In the case of MyBB, the former is part of the package, and the feature is embraced by many of its users, according to their support forums. The latter is a plugin, and certainly having a powerful and easy to manage plugin system is important.

With phpBB 3, it appears people are still clamoring for a working Calendar mod, and it has yet to be done -- or at least it wasn't done when I checked their support forums a few days ago.

whatrevolution · #14 04-28-2008, 09:34 AM

Sure, you could write anything into a forum script and plenty of people would oohh and ahhh because that is SO COOL!!! And sure, that's up to a site owner to choose whatever they damn well please.

This started with PunBB being somehow defficient because it isn't the OSX or Windows of forum software, with a massive EVERYTHING slammed right down on the back of that single nugget of core function which is really the common denominator.

Your perception that every piece of software is in competition with, and thus judged by measure of, every other piece of software of its type, was annoying. PunBB exists specifically to not be liked by people who think of their forums in the way you seem to.

Rockoids · #15 04-28-2008, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatrevolution

Sure, you could write anything into a forum script and plenty of people would oohh and ahhh because that is SO COOL!!! And sure, that's up to a site owner to choose whatever they damn well please.

This started with PunBB being somehow defficient because it isn't the OSX or Windows of forum software, with a massive EVERYTHING slammed right down on the back of that single nugget of core function which is really the common denominator.

Your perception that every piece of software is in competition with, and thus judged by measure of, every other piece of software of its type, was annoying. PunBB exists specifically to not be liked by people who think of their forums in the way you seem to.

Well, i never compared it to a computer operating system. I'm saying that the ideal forum software is the one that has the features you need, and the level of modification you require.

whatrevolution · #16 04-28-2008, 10:47 AM

Point missed. Moving on.

Rockoids · #17 04-28-2008, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatrevolution

Point missed. Moving on.

I agree -- you missed the point.

whatrevolution · #18 05-02-2008, 01:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockoids

I agree -- you missed the point.

Your point was that PunBB is too simple a forum system to meet the needs of yourself and anyone who has grown accustomed to more robust forum software, which is the norm for forums in general. PunBB is lacking additional, non-forum features, and a robust library of module/addons, which you seem to find essential to a legitimate forum community.

My point was that PunBB is not for those forum communities. PunBB is for other people, obviously not you.

What did I miss?

Rockoids · #19 05-02-2008, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatrevolution

Your point was that PunBB is too simple a forum system to meet the needs of yourself and anyone who has grown accustomed to more robust forum software, which is the norm for forums in general. PunBB is lacking additional, non-forum features, and a robust library of module/addons, which you seem to find essential to a legitimate forum community.

My point was that PunBB is not for those forum communities. PunBB is for other people, obviously not you.

What did I miss?

What you missed is why you seem to find something objectionable about that. It's not so much that it's a simple forum system that bothers me. It doesn't have the features we need for our community. Period. I'm not concerned over the simplicity of the programming but on how it functions in the real world.

Now can we get on with our lives?