Hello,

I wanted to use a free forum software for my company.
After doing a brief search and reading some posts I have too choose between AEF, SMF or PHPBB.
The links:
SMF - http://www.simplemachines.org/
AEF - http://www.anelectron.com/
PHPBB - http://www.phpbb.com/

Ok my requirements are that it should have a good Speed and not compromise on Features. Also it should be giving less load and should be bandwidth efficient. Dont forget good looks.
I installed AEF 1.0.4, SMF 1.1.4 and PHPBB 2.0.22 and PHPBB3 RC7.

Now the thing is AEF is very fast compared to PHPBB and SMF, it is good looking, has all the required features, infact some features like a Dock and Text Editor is not there in SMF and PHPBB.
SMF has more feature but then its looks are YUCK.
PHPBB and AEF look really good to the eyes.
The problem with AEF is that it is a really new software from what I heard and read.
Would it be safe to use it ?
Has anyone tested it ?

I like it because its fast, fully featured.
SMF as I said is not good looking.
PHPBB2 has less features and PHPBB3 is still in the Release Candidate Stages.

So please guide me on this and help me decide.

(If I have posted this in the wrong place please shift it. Sorry If I am wrong in my posts. Also I searched for this here and not much of comparison on boards. I know you guys are Windows Fans, but I thought that such a large company might know about it.)

Regards,
John

One thing that you will have to deal with if you choose PhpBB is that the login system has been "hacked" in that it's very easy for spambots to register for accounts. There are some mods out there that are supposed to help curb this, but another solution is to manually approve members as they sign up.

From what little I could play around with AEF, it's pretty nice, but I don't know about it's security or community. PhpBB has a much larger support base.

Another option for you to try is PunBB. It's very small, fast, and the themes are nice looking (in a very simple kind of way). For the most part, the themes are purely CSS, so there aren't any graphcs to send as part of the theme (helps with bandwidth).

Is it true PHPBB has a HACKED Login System ?
Which version of PHPBB ?

Well then its AEF or SMF.
I think AEF is better.

What would you guys choose if given a Choice.
I dont want to theme a board and SMF theme is Crap.

Waiting for your replies

I'm not sure about PhpBB3, but I know 2 had this problem. It's not hacked per-se, but the default registration process can be beat by most adbots.

PhpBB has the advantage of having the largest community. There are many sites that use PhpBB without any troubles, and it's probably much more flexible than the other two.

I think so PHPBB is very basic.
Not even sub forums are there.

Though it has a large community its still pretty basic.
AEF and SMF are better I feel.

PhpBB3 will have subforums - they're on RC7, and from what I understand, they're close to a full release. You might want to give that a try, since the difference between PhpBB2 and PhpBB3 is pretty significant. It moves PBB3 up almost to the same tier as larger forum software like IPB and vBulletin (in terms of featureset).

Well they have been releasing RC's for quite long.
And I think it will still go on.

ya version 2 is really bad for spam bots. i am waiting for version 3 to become final which i hope is by the end of the year.

This site is pure gold: http://www.forummatrix.org/

Of the three you are asking about, I'd go with SMF. Have you tried using a skin? You can change the appearance.

I suggest trying out phpBB. phpBB 3 is by far the best forum software I’ve ever used, it’s open-source so it’s free to download and use. It’s simple and doesn’t include all the “unneccessary” features you speak off. It’s minimal. Vanilla doesn’t even come close to competing with phpBB, so yeah - give it a try.
If you haven't got much time, and want to see what the new phpbb3 can offer, just try it out on this host : free forum hosting