Phorum follows the main rules for what is was developed : Speed and Power. Unfortunately, this will not be the power you will find by default in softwares like PhpBB or Simple Machines Forum.
We say by default because one other good point of Phorum is its Extensibility. This extensibility allows to add hundred of plugins to fill the features you missed on the initial installation.
Of course, this will need some additional search and configuration, but after this search & review period you will have a perfect forum installation, with the features you exactly wanted to have. Finally, we can say that Phorum is a core system, that only need to be extended with what you need.
The companies that use Phorum prove that Phorum is robust and well developed. You can trust this software if you want to manage an huge community and if you want them to be autonom (after dispatching admin and moderation rights to user groups leader). One of the best example is the MySQL.com forum, which uses Phorum.
Online.
Yes
Plugin
No
RSS
Twitter
Youtube
Facebook
Comments (24)
The reviewer tells an
The reviewer tells an incomplete story. The Power of Phorum is in fact is module/plugin system. The reviewer lists Phorum as not having any plugins. In fact, there is a smilies, captcha, HTML, BBCode editor, polls, surveys, and more. All of those are things that the reviewer claim that Phorum does not offer.
As for the editor getting old for users that use the forum a lot, that is an option for the admin to choose.
There is a template engine. It is more than just CSS. It is similar in some ways to Smarty without the class overhead and a less complex syntax.
There are also plugins and instructions for integrating Phorum with both Mambo/Joombla and Wordpress.
RSS feeds are not only available for a single forum, but the entire Phorum install, and a single thread. The default template contains a link tag at each level to the appropriate RSS feed.
I am not sure what User Banishment refers to exactly, but a user can be deactived.
As for the "messy" options under each message, we chose plain, readable text wording that fully describes the action. We find this much more usable than a non-descript icon.
Some other features this review claims we do not have that we in fact do are: Anonymous posting, private messaging, word filtering and file attaching (we had this over 5 years ago).
In closing, I would contest that we do offer the power that others offer. However, with Phorum, it is done with our also powerful module system.
Brian Moon
Phorum Dev Team
bad review
Having administered a Phorum installation over 5 years I find this review highly inaccurate. I suggest you check all the "missing" functionalities in your list again and add them because most of them are already there.
Your conclusion about the Speed & Power is true, but lacking power? especially compared to phpBB (newer tried simple machines) makes me laugh. It's like you complained that Firefox is speedy but lacks power compared to Internet explorer. I haven't missed any functionality in years because of Phorums plugins. Someone has usually already made one I need. If that wasn't the case I made one myself or imporoved/changed existing plugin.
Default template too simple for beginners? Yeah, it should be more complicated so they wouldn't feel lost. And in case you didn't notice there's only 1 line of message options for normal users. The other line is for administrators only. Message reply form can be on it's own page too etc.
This is nice site where you can have a glimbse of different forum software very easily, but if you can't keep the most basic facts in order you loose credibility really fast. To become de facto place for Forum SW comparison make better reviews.
And yes you are correct that users of Phorum tend to be passionate about it...
I've just added a little
I've just added a little paragraph about the difference between a default and simple installation and its extension capabilities, to really match what Phorum is exactly.
FSR Admin. Follow us on Twitter @forumsoftware.
The goal of Forum-Software
The goal of Forum-Software reviews is to describe how a forum looks like in a default installation, because most webmasters will simply test a software, look at its features briefly, and directly uninstall it if it does not support *by default* what it looked for.
You're right when you say that this review is incomplete because this review do not test the plugins of Phorum, just the default installation. So, I will add ASAP some additional information about those plugins, to inform people that if they want to use Phorum +extensions, then they will have a really complete and powerful tool for their community.
Of course, if there are real mistakes on default features that Phorum provides, please let me know to fix them.
FSR Admin. Follow us on Twitter @forumsoftware.
ok, so for the mistakes:
anonymous posting is possible in the default-installation.
just needs to be enabled for the forum with allowing permissions to public users.
smiley-module is distributed with the default install. might just need to be activated in the admin-area.
javascript is not required for the core functionality.
Thank you, these mistakes are
Thank you, these mistakes are fixed. Sorry for those errors and thanks again to report them.
FSR Admin. Follow us on Twitter @forumsoftware.
Couple more corrections
Thank you for addressing the inaccuracies in your review.
I have some more for you to fix.
1. operating system and webservers:
- known to work in Windows & IIS (there are some small differencees because of PHP's missing functionality in that platform, nothing major though).
- known to work in BSD
- in general it's platform independent, if PHP and Mysql runs on it then Phorum does too
2. database
- recommended MySQL 4.x (this is common FAQ, v. 3.x is no longer supported but a patch exists to use it with that)
- Beta/alpha postgre support available (not in distributed package though)
3. template engine
- there's a template engine but it's not "known". IMO you should mention it anyway because Phorum doesn't mix code & html but is fully template based. (I would put "custom/smartylike cached template engine)
4. Functionality to get with plugins (I would put a mention on that place on the tables)
- Poll creation (plugin)
- post form has "rich text editing" (even default in the current version, a plugin is cutting edge version)
- post format includes html too
- custom BB codes? I'm not sure what you mean here, but defining custom smilies is possible (for administrator that is)
- user list (an addon)
- Captcha Protection (plugins, graphical & text based available)
- user ranks (plugin)
- user avatars (plugins)
But thank you anyway for correcting the obvious mistakes. I can only hope you make small corrections to the text too. For example the fact that the final score is the same even if the functionality of Phorum is much better than your initial report has in it.
Thanks again for those
Thanks again for those comments, I've updated the review to fix these errors.
However, I will not change the final score, firstly because 7/10 is one of the best score in Forum-Software.org (same that PhpBB, and only under SMF), and secondly because I will not change the forum scores each times someone ask me to do it. The opinion and this good score will be sufficent to convince webmasters that Phorum is a good forum software.
FSR Admin. Follow us on Twitter @forumsoftware.
You still have us as No for
You still have us as No for that feature. However, we have it. And its quite nice IMO.
Brian Moon
Phorum Dev Team
Done. Thanks.
Done.
Thanks.
FSR Admin. Follow us on Twitter @forumsoftware.
More info
Phorum can be integrated with Amember from CGI Central, I run 4 websites with these systems and most of them handle a lot of posts per day. I am kinda amazed by the way you guys here review software. You state in your summary that e.g. MySQL.com uses Phorum. So how on earth can you give a rating like this??
If you would have taken the time to check other live sites out there using Phorum you will see that the Phorum installs runnign are either barebone ones to optimize the speed option or full graphic sites with more options then e.g. phpBB has.
There are some other pretty darn big websites out there using Phorum. In my years running phpBB it was getting hacked at least 3 times a year. I didnt have that problem with Phorum.
It can be integrated very easy into a website template without the hassle phpBB has. Seriously, don't expect me to take this site sirious after this I am sorry. My rating for this is C, mainly because of the way software is reviewed here.
Dont like my opinion then remove my post.
Yes, I didn't know that
Yes, I didn't know that MySQL.com uses Phorum, and this has changed the score of Phorum on Forum-Software.org. And please also note that 7 or 8 on 10 is a really good score.
Please however note that Forum-Software.org is a really young website, and that it is going to evolve a lot in the next months, evolve because tests will be done more seriously (because we will have more time for this, instead of developing FSO modules and components), and evolve because users like you will give their important opinion to us. If you look better, Forum-Software.org cannot be for the moment easily found in search engines, and that it has only be found because one of the Phorum user points it from phorum.org web site.
And, no, I will not remove your post.
FSR Admin. Follow us on Twitter @forumsoftware.
newbie question
well, we want to know if a blog can be functioning simultaneously on the left hand side of the page while the board/forum is functioning on the right half of the page?
sorry if this seems odd, I'm asking for a friend & I don't know much at all about forums as an admin would.
rob
=][=
Phorum 5.2.10 has been
Phorum 5.2.10 has been released. The review should be updated too.
Brian Moon
Phorum Dev Team
Hi, The Live Demonstration &
Hi,
The Live Demonstration & Review updates are planned and will be made soon. Thanks for the information.
FSR Admin. Follow us on Twitter @forumsoftware.
As you may note, the Phorum
As you may note, the Phorum Review has been updated.
FSR Admin. Follow us on Twitter @forumsoftware.
This is my favorite forum
This is my favorite forum software, without any doubts!
Could you fix some of the
Could you fix some of the inaccuracies:
- forum style: Threaded, flat and hybrid (not only flat)
- Attachments (Phorum has had them forever so I wonder why you haven't updated the data, they must be enabled from the admin though, which is only a positive thing)
- post editing format includes HTML (Not only BBCode)
- post rating: module (plugin)
- syntax highlighting: Yes
- calendar: module (plugin)
- poll creation: module (plugin)
- Friendly URLs: module (plugin)
- Custom emoticons: module providing "smilies" can add & change smileys
- custom thread icons: module (plugin)
- CMS / Blog integration: module (plugin) for many cms's
- user database integration: Yes as both master & slave (plugins)
- Template engine: Yes (custom smarty-like)
- mass mailing: both PM and email, module (plugin)
- Statistic: module (plugin)
- Error/notice log viewer: module (plugin)
In case you accept "plugin" only for plugins shipped with the product then some of the "plugins" above don't qualify though.
Update done. Thank you for
Update done. Thank you for your comment.
FSR Admin. Follow us on Twitter @forumsoftware.
Hi All! I am fairly recent to
Hi All!
I am fairly recent to this community & just thought it would be a good idea to introduce myself & say "hello".
Finally a stable community with active members that I can look at - which truly is good to look at!
I'm here to learn + get involved in the community. How could I best participate?
Bye!!!
Hey there you forgoten the
Hey there
you forgoten the Arabic translation that i've translated
http://www.phorum.org/phorum5/read.php?65,142453
didn't read the review but maybe later
Best Regards
Thanks for the information,
Thanks for the information, I've added your translation to the review.
FSR Admin. Follow us on Twitter @forumsoftware.
Nice Thanks Chief
Nice
Thanks Chief
Do you plan any updates on
Do you plan any updates on this review? Keep up the good work!
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