The first major message board systems were created in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These early message boards were known as Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and were typically run on a single computer that users could dial into using a telephone modem. Some of the first BBSs included:
The first major internet forums, also known as online discussion boards, emerged in the early 1990s with the advent of the World Wide Web. These forums were web-based, meaning users could access them using a web browser, and they allowed for real-time discussions and conversations among users. Some of the first and most popular internet forums include:
More about Vbulletin
vBulletin is a proprietary internet forum software, which was first launched in 2000. It is designed for website administrators and developers to add discussion boards to their sites, and is considered one of the first commercially successful internet forums. vBulletin is written in the programming language PHP and uses a MySQL database to store data.
One of the main features of vBulletin is its customization options, which allows website administrators to change the look and feel of their forum, as well as add new functionality through the use of add-ons and plugins. It also includes user management tools, such as user registration, user groups, and permissions.
vBulletin was widely adopted by businesses and organizations for customer support, community building, and internal communication, it was also used by many online gaming communities and fan sites. It was also used by a number of high-profile websites, such as IGN and PC Gamer, as their community platform.
More about Xenforo
XenForo is a commercial internet forum software that was first released in 2010. It was created as a successor to vBulletin, by a team of developers who were former employees of the company behind vBulletin. Like vBulletin, XenForo is written in the programming language PHP and uses a MySQL database to store data.
XenForo is known for its modern and clean user interface, and its focus on performance and scalability. It also has a wide range of customization options, and a large number of add-ons and plugins that can be used to add new functionality to the software.
Some of the features that XenForo offers include user management, content creation, search engine optimization, and social media integration. It also offers a mobile-optimized version of the forum and a responsive design to make it easy for users to access the forum on any device.
XenForo is a popular choice for businesses, organizations, and online communities, it is used by many high-profile websites such as IGN, PC Gamer and many others. The company behind it still maintains a continuous development and support for the product.
Other Forum Software
There are many different internet forum software options available, both commercial and open-source. Some of the other popular forum software include:
And Discourse?
Discourse is an open-source internet forum software that was first released in 2013. It is written in Ruby on Rails and uses a PostgreSQL database. It is known for its modern design, advanced features, and its focus on community building and engagement.
Discourse is designed to be highly customizable and it has a wide range of features, including user management, content creation, search engine optimization, social media integration, and mobile optimization. Additionally, Discourse has built-in support for real-time notifications and live updates, which can help to keep users engaged and active on the forum.
One of the key features of Discourse is its emphasis on community building, it uses gamification elements such as badges and reputation points to encourage users to participate and contribute to the community. Additionally, Discourse has built-in support for single sign-on and integration with other platforms like social media and email, which can help to increase user engagement and retention.
Discourse is widely used by online communities, especially in the open-source and technology communities, it's also used by many businesses and organizations for customer support and community building. The company behind it, Discourse.org, provides hosting and support for users, it also actively maintains and develops the software.
Will Forums ever go away?
It's hard to predict the future, but it's unlikely that forums will completely disappear. While newer forms of online communication and social media platforms, such as social networks and instant messaging apps, have gained popularity in recent years, forums still have a dedicated user base and continue to serve a specific purpose.
Forums are still a valuable tool for building and maintaining online communities, and they allow for more in-depth and focused discussions than other forms of social media. They also allow for a more organized and searchable archive of information, which can be useful for research and problem solving.
However, the use of forums may change over time, and they may need to adapt to new technologies and trends in order to remain relevant. For example, forums may need to incorporate more multimedia and social media features, and they may need to focus more on mobile optimization and real-time notifications to keep users engaged.
In summary, while the popularity of forums may have decreased in recent years, they are still an important tool for online communication and community building, and they will continue to have a place in the digital landscape.
- "The Source" which was created in 1979 by Ward Christensen and Randy Suess, it was one of the first dial-up BBSs and was popular among hobbyists and computer enthusiasts.
- "The WELL" (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link) which was launched in 1985 by Stewart Brand, it was one of the first online communities and it was focused on technology and culture.
- "FidoNet" which was a network of BBSs that began in 1984, it allowed users on different BBSs to communicate with one another through the exchange of messages.
- "Usenet" which was created in 1979, it was a decentralized system of message boards that used the UUCP (Unix-to-Unix Copy Protocol) to distribute messages between systems.
The first major internet forums, also known as online discussion boards, emerged in the early 1990s with the advent of the World Wide Web. These forums were web-based, meaning users could access them using a web browser, and they allowed for real-time discussions and conversations among users. Some of the first and most popular internet forums include:
- "Web Crossing" which was created in 1995, it was one of the first web-based forums and it was popular among businesses and organizations for internal communication and collaboration.
- "Yahoo! Groups" which was launched in 2001, it was one of the first large-scale internet forums and it allowed users to create and participate in groups based on specific interests.
- "phpBB" which was created in 2000, it was one of the first open-source internet forums and it was widely used by website administrators and developers to add discussion boards to their sites.
- "vBulletin" which was launched in 2000, it was one of the first commercially successful internet forums and it was popular among businesses and organizations for customer support and community building.
More about Vbulletin
vBulletin is a proprietary internet forum software, which was first launched in 2000. It is designed for website administrators and developers to add discussion boards to their sites, and is considered one of the first commercially successful internet forums. vBulletin is written in the programming language PHP and uses a MySQL database to store data.
One of the main features of vBulletin is its customization options, which allows website administrators to change the look and feel of their forum, as well as add new functionality through the use of add-ons and plugins. It also includes user management tools, such as user registration, user groups, and permissions.
vBulletin was widely adopted by businesses and organizations for customer support, community building, and internal communication, it was also used by many online gaming communities and fan sites. It was also used by a number of high-profile websites, such as IGN and PC Gamer, as their community platform.
More about Xenforo
XenForo is a commercial internet forum software that was first released in 2010. It was created as a successor to vBulletin, by a team of developers who were former employees of the company behind vBulletin. Like vBulletin, XenForo is written in the programming language PHP and uses a MySQL database to store data.
XenForo is known for its modern and clean user interface, and its focus on performance and scalability. It also has a wide range of customization options, and a large number of add-ons and plugins that can be used to add new functionality to the software.
Some of the features that XenForo offers include user management, content creation, search engine optimization, and social media integration. It also offers a mobile-optimized version of the forum and a responsive design to make it easy for users to access the forum on any device.
XenForo is a popular choice for businesses, organizations, and online communities, it is used by many high-profile websites such as IGN, PC Gamer and many others. The company behind it still maintains a continuous development and support for the product.
Other Forum Software
There are many different internet forum software options available, both commercial and open-source. Some of the other popular forum software include:
- phpBB: One of the first open-source internet forum software, it was first released in 2000. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database. It is known for its customization options and its large community of users and developers.
- SMF (Simple Machines Forum): Another open-source internet forum software, it was first released in 2003. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL or SQLite database. It is known for its ease of use and its large community of users and developers.
- MyBB: An open-source internet forum software, it was first released in 2002. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL or PostgreSQL database. It is known for its ease of use, and its large community of users and developers.
- Vanilla Forums: An open-source internet forum software, it was first released in 2006. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL or SQLite database. It is known for its simplicity and scalability.
- Invision Community: A commercial internet forum software, it was first released in 2004. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database. It is known for its flexibility, scalability, and its large community of users and developers.
- Flarum: An open-source internet forum software, it was first released in 2014. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL or SQLite database. It is known for its modern design and its focus on simplicity and performance.
And Discourse?
Discourse is an open-source internet forum software that was first released in 2013. It is written in Ruby on Rails and uses a PostgreSQL database. It is known for its modern design, advanced features, and its focus on community building and engagement.
Discourse is designed to be highly customizable and it has a wide range of features, including user management, content creation, search engine optimization, social media integration, and mobile optimization. Additionally, Discourse has built-in support for real-time notifications and live updates, which can help to keep users engaged and active on the forum.
One of the key features of Discourse is its emphasis on community building, it uses gamification elements such as badges and reputation points to encourage users to participate and contribute to the community. Additionally, Discourse has built-in support for single sign-on and integration with other platforms like social media and email, which can help to increase user engagement and retention.
Discourse is widely used by online communities, especially in the open-source and technology communities, it's also used by many businesses and organizations for customer support and community building. The company behind it, Discourse.org, provides hosting and support for users, it also actively maintains and develops the software.
Will Forums ever go away?
It's hard to predict the future, but it's unlikely that forums will completely disappear. While newer forms of online communication and social media platforms, such as social networks and instant messaging apps, have gained popularity in recent years, forums still have a dedicated user base and continue to serve a specific purpose.
Forums are still a valuable tool for building and maintaining online communities, and they allow for more in-depth and focused discussions than other forms of social media. They also allow for a more organized and searchable archive of information, which can be useful for research and problem solving.
However, the use of forums may change over time, and they may need to adapt to new technologies and trends in order to remain relevant. For example, forums may need to incorporate more multimedia and social media features, and they may need to focus more on mobile optimization and real-time notifications to keep users engaged.
In summary, while the popularity of forums may have decreased in recent years, they are still an important tool for online communication and community building, and they will continue to have a place in the digital landscape.
