Website Reorganization:Forums
From The Neuros Technology Wiki
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Contents |
[edit] Implementations
[edit] Requirements
A value in italics indicates it's available as a third-party add-on. This is acceptable, but sub-optimal, as each add-on adds maintainance and possible security vulnerabilities. I (srobertson) haven't investigated everything yet, so it'll be filled in as I go.
- Import from either Snitz or phpBB. Snitz is a better deal, because we can do it in one step, but if necessary we can run it through the much more popular phpBB. If the board doesn't have this, we'd probably write it, which is a drag.
- Mutiple-level hierarchy. This is important for organization. Possibilities include CFS (Category-Forum-Subforum).
- Group memberships, necessary for implementing "badges". Multi-group memberships is obviously better.
- Permissions. Some forums, per above, would be locked; others hidden; etc. The distinction between simple and advanced isn't defined, but advanced is better here.
- Forum search. We're looking for one feature here: the ability to turn off searching certain forums by default. No forum I know of implements this, so this will be an at-a-glance look at how hard it will be to implement this feature.
- Forum search integration. Again, we'd need to implement this.
- Syndication. The ability to take hot items and promote them, link to them, or whatever. Mostly RSS integration.
- Mailing-List integration. This will also be pretty tricky. I'll need more details and playing around with the code to determine this.
- LDAP support or other cenrtalized authentication method for site-wide single-sign-on. This involves more than just having an LDAP extension, although such an extension goes a long way to kick-starting the process.
[edit] Candidates
- phpBB is the most common web-forum solution. It's big, it's popular, and it's often riddled with security holes. On the other side, you don't get the largest installed user-base for nothin' -- just ask Microsoft. Err...
- SimpleMachines Forums is used by our friends over at RockBox, as well as a number of places. It's LAMP as well, taking after phpBB in a lot of ways but innovating in others.
- Vanilla Forums is a super-cool package, incorporating some of the best Web 2.0 features and paradigms into an in-progress attempt to redefine the forum experience.
[edit] Evaluation
| Forum | Import | Multi-Level | Groups | Permissions | Search | ...integration | Syndication | Subscription | List Int | Single Sign-On |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| phpBB | Snitz | CFS | Single | Simple? | Moderate | ??? | None? | Advanced | Hard | Moderate |
| SMF | Snitz | CFS | Multiple | Advanced | Easy | Moderate | Simple | Advanced | Moderate | Moderate |
| Vanilla | none | none? | Multiple | Advanced? | Hard | ??? | Advanced | Advanced | Hard | Hard |
[edit] Conclusions
Please, don't let Srobertson decide things by default. Beat him down with your verbal jousts! Posts experiences, rebuttals, and your own opinionated ideas!
I'd love to endorse Vanilla, really. I think it's got some neat ideas, and it looks slick on all sides. However, I still find SMF to be the best choice of the ones I've looked into so far. Although phpBB is ultra-popular, and Vanilla is super-cool, SMF has the most compelling feature-set on a stable platform. Yeah, it's a boring choice. But at this time I think it's the right one.
Still evaluating more options in the table. Srobertson 23:58, 4 Jul 2006 (CDT)
[edit] Structure
I (JoeBorn) think splitting into Gamma and other categories was a big mistake. Further splitting into customer service doesn't make any sense to me either since that's the bulk of what the forums are. Let's just keep it simple, forum discussion doesn't really fall that neatly into too many categories anyway.
- Legacy Products and Discussion
- All the current stuff on neurostechnology.com
- Neuros Linux Products and Discussion
- Neuros OSD
- Neuros OSD Hardware
- Neuros OSD Software
- Neuros OSD General Discussion
- Neuros 442v2
- Neuros 442v2 Hardware
- Neuros 442v2 Software
- Neuros 442v2 General Discussion
- Neuros III Digital Audio Computer
- Neuros III Hardware
- Neuros III Software
- Neuros III General Discussion
- Neuros Linux Products General Discussion
- General Discussion
- Neuros OSD
-- JoeBorn
If I may be so bold, I offer another possibility for consideration. This one takes advantage of the fact that the second level on most solutions are forums, not subcategories, which means you can post in them, so the General Discussion will take place on the main forum, with specific subtopics in subforums.
- Neuros Linux Products
- Neuros OSD
- Tips and Tricks
- Hacks and Mods
- Support
- Neuros 442v2
- Tips and Tricks
- Hacks and Mods
- Support
- Neuros III Audio Computer
- Tips and Tricks
- Hacks and Mods
- Support
- Neuros OSD
- Developers' Forums
- Joe's Corner
- Beta Forums (not included in default search)
- Special Offers (private forums)
- Mailing-List Stuff
- Chatter
- All the stuff that a forum seems to pick up along the way
Reasoning: First, much General Discussion will end up being about Support anyway, so let's shunt that business off to a separate one. Second, the distinction between hardware and software is obvious for a developer but should be artificial for a user. They use the device as a whole, and most won't even realize that there's a full-blown O/S at work. Third, the cream of the Tips and Tricks can be reposted on to the wiki without having to sift through other stuff. Srobertson (who else?)
--Greyback 12:20, 6 September 2007 (EDT) : I want to second Srobertson's suggestion, with a few little alterations. The large majority of people posting (for the OSD anyway) are asking for help. "Help & Support" should be the top forum in each category (giving newbies the impression the forums are for them - while also having more advanced posts in the forums below). If "Hacks & Mods" is more hardware based, and "Tips & Tricks" software based, I'll be happy enough with that distinction, but these two subjects do seem to cross-over.
