IceBB Review
| Last Version | 1.0 (December 2, 2010). | Released under | GPL License. |
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| Resources |
 IceBB Website
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 Download...
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| Company | XAOS Interactive. | ||
| Price | Free. | ||
Jump To:
Pros & Cons
IceBB Demo
Status: Offline.
Accounts and Passwords
| Administrator | admin / demo |
|---|---|
| Moderator | moderator / demo |
| Member | member / demo |
What is IceBB?
IceBB is a powerful, fast, free, and open-source forum solution powered by PHP and MySQL. IceBB targets simplicity and easy of use, like its main competitors: PunBB and FluxBB.
IceBB has a clear white ("pure as snow") design and an high readability default theme, which is really convenient if you plan to integrate it into an existing website.
Review Updates:
- January 5, 2011: IceBB 1.0 review updated.
- February 16, 2010: Update the review with IceBB 1.0rc10
IceBB is recommended for Small Community.
(and supports smaller communities perfectly as well.)
Server & Client Requirements
| Server Requirements | ||
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Programming Language
Required Architecture and Versions.
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Web Servers
How the forum is delivered to users.
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Databases
How Forum Data are Stored.
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Operating Systems
Systems Supporting this Software.
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GNU/Linux
Microsoft Windows| Browser & Client Requirements | ||||||||||
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Compatible Browsers
List of Compatible Browsers.
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Required Plugins/Technologies
Additional or Basic Requirements from Client Side.
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AJAX. | |||||||||
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Localization
Languages supported by IceBB.
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Yes.
Supported Languages:
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Mozilla Firefox
Internet Explorer
Google Chrome
Opera
Apple Safari
Konqueror
Mozilla SeaMonkeyIceBB is another classical LAMP alternative to PhpBB. The goal of the IceBB, according to its authors, was to create a free alternative to expensive Invision Power Board and vBulletin forum software.
| Compatibility with Smartphones | |
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Compatible SmartPhones
Compatible Cellphone Brands and Manufacturers.
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No. |
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Application Distribution / Type
How it is distributed / App Store Availability
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No. |
Forum Threads & Posts
| Forum Threads / Topics | |||
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Forum Style
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Threaded |
Forum Organization
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Thread Icons
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Yes |
Topic Tags
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Yes |
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Hot Topics
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No |
Unread Topics
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Yes |
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Hidden Topics
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No |
Sticky Threads
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No |
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Related Threads
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No |
Detect Duplicate Threads
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No |
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Announcements
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Yes | ||
| Posting Messages / Answers | |||
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Message Editing Form
How to Post Messages.
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Post Editing Format
Supported Markup Language (HTML, Wiki, BBCode,...).
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Spell Checker
Checks typos on posts and topics.
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No | ||
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Image Attachment
How Images can be Attached and Displayed in Message Posts.
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Embedded Videos
Videos and Media Websites Supported in Message Posts.
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No. | ||
| Posting Features | |||
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| Quick Reply Box | Yes |
Smileys
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Yes |
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Attachments
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Yes |
Syntax Highlighting
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No |
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Message Rating
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No |
Message Quoting
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Yes |
Additional & Technical Features
| Additional Forum Features | |
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Poll Creation
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Yes |
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Private Messages
Users Can Communicate using an Internal Messaging System.
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Yes |
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Instant Messaging
Discuss with Visitors and Members in a Chat Window.
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No |
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Calendar
Topic, Member Birthdays, Events are available from the perspective of a calendar.
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Yes |
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Online Users List
Connected User List (Often Found in the Forum Footer).
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Yes |
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Members List
Search and Consult the List of Members.
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Yes |
| Technical Features | |
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Bundled Software
Additional Software Available with the Forum.
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RSS/Atom Syndication
Posts and Threads Exported to Feeds Aggregators
 .
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No. |
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Friendly URLs
URLs are clear and contain information about the topic (title, message,...).
Highly recommended for SEO purposes.
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No |
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Post by Email
Post Directly From your Email Box.
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No |
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Remote Control
Remote Control from External Software/Websites.
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No. |
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Cache System
Cache pages to optimize bandwidth and load times.
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No |
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Template Engine
It is easier to theme a forum using a known template engine (more docs & examples,...).
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No. |
IceBB will fulfill stickler administrators and moderators with its impressive list of controls of members. This is particularly useful for huge community management.
Please note that the portal is not enabled by default.
User Profiles & Options
Some details about IceBB features regarding members.
| Member Options & Features | |
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Bookmark Threads
User Profiles Keep a List of Followed Posts and Topics.
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Yes |
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Email Notifications
Receive Emails When New Messages are Posted in Followed Threads.
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Yes |
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Export private messages
Private Messages can be Downloaded by Users.
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No |
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Payment Subscriptions
Paying Membership Subscription.
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No |
| User Profiles | |
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User Profile
User Information and Settings.
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Yes |
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Avatars
Pictures of Members, Useful to Easily Identify their Posts.
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Yes |
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Signature
Signatures Added at the Bottom of Each Message.
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Yes |
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Ranks
Tags and Labels Identifying the Members, based on specific criteria (Total Posts Count, Credits, Moderation Level...)
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Yes |
Moderation & Users Management
| Moderation & Threads Management | ||
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| Moderation |
Post-Moderation
The moderation is done afterwards, if an administrator notices a problem or if a member reports something wrong. Each message is therefore directly published.
Reactive Moderation
By reporting any problems, members are reactive against moderation problems.
Moderators' main objective is to regularly check user reports, without having to follow each threads.
Distributed Moderation
By organizing the forum around moderators, who are usually power and experienced users, moderation is self-powered and only depends on the community.
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| Moderator per section | Yes | |
| Global Moderator | Yes | |
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Move Threads
Move Threads from Topics
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Yes | |
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Shadow Topics
When a thread is moved, the previous position is kept in order to inform users of this modification.
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No | |
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Close/Lock Threads
Close/Lock Problematic Threads
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Yes | |
| Users Management | |
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User Groups
Organize and define groups of users, and apply different actions and settings on them.
Common Groups: Guests, Members, Moderators, Administrators,... |
Yes |
| User Registration |
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Limit Features For New Users
Features are limited if a user has created a small number of posts.
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No |
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Guest Posting
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Yes |
| Multiple Administrators | Yes |
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Send Warnings to Users
Inform users by email or PM that they infringe the board rules, and could be excluded for such behavior.
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No |
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Forum/Section Restricted Access
ACL could be use to determine if a user or a group of users can access (in read only, post message) to some sections
and topics.
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Yes |
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User Banishment
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Yes |
Administration & Support
| Database Management | |
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Backup Database
Backup forum datas that you could store somewhere else.
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No |
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Prune Database
Remove old and unused datas from your forum.
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No |
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Restore Database
Restore a backup of your database if the previous install crashed.
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No |
| Administration Tools | |||
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Statistics
Statistics about posts count, users, traffic...
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Yes |
Error/Notice Log Viewer
Forum Logs could be consulted.
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Yes |
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Tasks Scheduler
Maintenance tasks are regularly launched and could be scheduled.
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No |
Mass Mailing
Send an email (newsletters, advertisements, information,...) to all users.
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No |
| Installation & Upgrading | |
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Installation Method
How this forum software could be installed.
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Installation Wizard |
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Upgrading Method
How this forum software could be upgraded.
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Upgrade Wizard |
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Updates Notifications
The Admin Panel informs you when a new version is released.
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No |
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Forum Migration
Convert an existing forum to IceBB.
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Yes. |
- Invision Power Board 1.3.x
- Invision Power Board 2.1.x
- PunBB 1.2.x
- Simple Machines 1.x
- phpBB 2.x
Security & Spam Protection
| Security & Spam Protection | ||
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CAPTCHA
Captcha protects your forum against spam bots.
e.g.,
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Yes
Complexity:
    Normal |
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Abnormal Behavior Detection
Detect users or request strange behaviors, and try to process proactive actions.
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No | |
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Words Filtering
Offensing Words are automatically replaced.
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Yes | |
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User Blacklist
Prevent specific user accounts to register (based on email address, name,...) and disable potentially harmful members.
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Yes | |
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IP Blocking
Prevent access to spam robots and other scripts that could attempt
DDOS or Brute Force attacks on your forum.
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Yes | |
Vulnerabilities Advisories Criticality
Secunia Advisories severity affecting IceBB.
Vulnerabilities Impact
Secunia Advisories impact affecting IceBB.
Forum Software Reviews RSS FeedCustomization & Social Networks
| Customization | |||
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Plugins
Add new features to your forum installation.
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Yes.
Installation:
Normal |
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Themes
Modify the style of your forum easily.
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Yes.
~1 Available Themes. |
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| Custom BBCodes | No | Smiley Packs | No |
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Custom Thread Icons |
No |
Additional User Profile Fields
Ask more about your members with custom fields.
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No |
| Integration with Applications, Social Networks, Intranet... | |
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Social Networks
Users can share information from their social network account...
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No. |
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CMS / Blog Bridges
Integration with existing Web publishing tools.
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No. |
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User Accounts Integration
Do users be able to log in with their corporate, Google, Facebook,... accounts?
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Content Aggregation
Forum allows to integrate news and content from other website,
using an aggregation protocol (RSS, RDF, Atom,...).
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No. |
OpenIdIceBB has not a lot of integration features currently. Authors seems to focus their time to fix bugs and release the 1.0 version.
The connection using OpenId is a really good idea, that we do not find often on forum Software, that generally prefer implementing their own mechanism.
W3C Norms & Accessibility
| Norms & Accessibility | |
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HTML / XHTML Markup
See W3C HTML Definition.
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XHTML 1.0 Transitional.
Click to see if it respects HTML norms.
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CSS Stylesheets
See W3C CSS Definition.
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CSS 2. 
Click to see if it respects CSS norms.
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Accessibility (WAI)
Web Accessibility ensures that the forum is usable by people of all abilities and disabilities.
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Conformance to AA level.
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UTF-8 Support
Default encoding used to support all locales and countries.
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Yes |
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Conformance to W3C Norms
Does IceBB correctly follow (X)HTML and CSS norms?
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Yes. |
IceBB respects W3C norms, and uses some Scripaculous / Prototype features, which makes it sexy to use and consult.
Unique Features
Key points and major differences that make IceBB unique:
You will find classical forum software features on IceBB, no more and no less.Final Words
Good.
IceBB is a good forum software, has many qualities and is really simple to use. Even if some people could find it too simple compared to main forum software solutions, it provides at least exactly what a small community generally requests, which is, actually, exactly what we could expect from IceBB.
The final 1.0 version has been released, which finally means IceBB could be considered as bug free.
Additional Resources:
- Experiment the IceBB Demo.
- Compare IceBB vs PhpBB 3 vs Simple Machines 2.
- Ask your questions to the IceBB Community Forum.
- Get Users Reviews about IceBB and Share your experience.
Found a Mistake? Tell us »
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Comments (4)
Great review! Thank you so
Great review! Thank you so much!
Hello, I think your website
Hello, I think your website might be having browser compatibility issues.
When I look at your website in Ie, it looks fine but when opening in Internet
Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads
up! Other then that, amazing blog!
IceBB seems to be dead. The
IceBB seems to be dead. The listed website is gone, and the only the it's sourceforge page hosts, is a sort-of theme file. I have not been able to test it for that reason.
Hello, You can download from
Hello,
You can download from the google code site http://code.google.com/p/icebb/
We will be migrating to icebb.co soon. At the moment, IceBB is being rebuilt from the ground up.
Regards,
Eric H.
Lead Developer
XAOS Interactive