Free message board software for linux

miniBB is a flat, linear, highly customizable BB. It features MySQL, PostgreSQL and MSSQL.
Want to make your own discussion board? miniBB ( = mini bulletin board) is a free forum software, original PHP message board script, you can build online community on. Security, speed and stability - three Ss of our conferencing software concepts.
Based on original technology, miniBB provides everything to make your web discussions fast, simple and attractive for visitors. First of all, its a content- and support-oriented board.
One more pecularity, which makes miniBB the best around, is the advantage of the addons architecture. Install required plugins only: dont get annoyed with the features you wont use, build custom forum solution, unique from all the rest!
miniBB is based on PHP and SQL. They are two "whales" of todays Internet technology, and we could call miniBB the third one. Minimal PHP knowledge is required for configuration.
Almost every hosting plan includes PHP and mySQL installed, required for running a message board based on miniBB. Start your forum with minimum of traffic, and grow up to the biggest online conference in your area.
Main features:
- Complete working with PHPs register_globals set to OFF or ON.
- Complete working with PHPs error_reporting set to ANY level (were trying to develop our softwares output as extra clear, even without Notices).
- Color skins, language packs, easy and universal "hand-made" HTML-templates, detailed and complete CSS stylesheet - all of the above allows you to quickly and easily change the look of your miniBB.
- Can be included from your own PHP script.
- Can be united with your previous users database.
- Ability to built-in miniBB into your own site, using your own PHPs header and footer.
- Ability to use Apaches mod_rewrite URL handling for better compatibility with search engines like Google.
- Interface language customization by users.
- Easy and customizable search function, with options to search by username, post text and/or topic title within a selected forum only or through all forums.
- Customizable date (PHP-like) format.
- Basic BB codes (HTML replacements), which allow you to make your posts really good-looking. There is also an ability to turn on/off BBCode in posts.
- Both anonymous and registered users can post messages in any forum by default, or you can make all forums only for registered users, changing one option. Registered users also can edit their messages.
- Private, archive (read-only), post-only and registered-users-only forums.
- Registered users can be notified via email, when their post or topic is replied, even if they are not authors of the topic. They can also unsubscribe anytime.
- Special rankings and titles for registered users.
- Moderators feature.
- Advanced statistics for users and forums.
- Powerful encrypted cookie or, optionally, session-logging and update system for every user.
- Poster IP tracking, which can be accessed by administrator or moderator.
- "Sticky" topics.
- Expiration of message editing.
- Switchable simple one-step and two-step email-registration.
- Banning users by their IPs or IDs, optionally deactivating users.
- Setting time difference, if servers time zone is different from yours.
- Basic spam protection.
- Powerful admin panel and tools.
- Ability to protect all forums by a single password

Risk is a Java version of the classic RISK board game, with a simple map format, network play, single player mode, hotseat, and many more features. Risk works on all operating system that run Java 1.4 or higher.

OvBB project is a light-weight and fast message board system that mimics vBulletin 2.x.x in both look and behavior, while incorporating new features and functionality.

retroBBS project is a small but functional Perl script that provides a simple, MySQL based, 1980s style (read: console based) message board.
The idea behind this program was to provide console users some kind of BBS without the need of a webserver and a console browser like lynx (and because it was fun doing it). By now it offers only basic functionality, but new features or updates of the existing code may follow.
Main features:
- MySQL based
- user Session Management (very basic!)
- post, edit and delete messages
- dump messages to file

Quick.Forum provides a simple, fast message board with category filtering and a flat file backend.
Quick.Forum is a fast, simple, and multilingual message board. It is based on text files and features a search engine, categories, and filters.
There is full administration for topics, answers, and categories.
Forum topics are displayed in a single window with color differentiation between categories.
Categories can be filtered on a per-user basis.
Main features:
- Freeware - based on licensed GPL with additional conditions,
- Simple installation - This tool is based on a secure flat files (SQL base not required). Installation needs just a few minutes and just the basic knowledge about FTP connection use,
- Stability - Application has been used since December 2003. Because of a common access to this application, any errors are immediately detected and removed,
- Speed - in designing this application, we tried to minimize the HTML code and also made possible generating small pictures, making web loading as short as possible,
- Standards - our solutions are compatible with XHTML 1.0 and also with settings of most of the popular servers,
- Template system - we made our best effort to separate the logic and presentational layers from each other. The application outlook change, is really simple and it works through templates in which complicated PHP language is not used at all.
Enhancements:
- html/css optimization
- updated libraries
- bugfixes

OnlineCourse project is a Zope Product for Online Instruction/Distance Learning.

OnlineCourse is a Zope Product that allows you to implement a web based distance learning application.

Main features include an online chat classroom, message board, upload of course materials from MSWord .doc files, log of student participation, and provisions for assignment entry, homework entry, and grading.

jGossip is simple and powerful forum (message board) software implemented on J2EE platform.It is using Struts framework.

Features of jgossip:

P planned
I implemented
R - released
D development in progress
C - cancelled
F - deferred

(R) Different environments.
Tested platforms include: Apache with Tomcat 4.1 , Jetty 4.2,SunOne 7.0
(R) Fully validated user input
(R) Powerful and extensive authorisation system
(R) Auto Login for easy login of users
(R) Strong encryption to keep passwords safe in the database
(R) Support for both cookie and URI-based sessions
(R) Unlimited forums can be organised into as many categories as you like
(R) New posts flag to identify new messages
(D) Private forums and those only for specified user groups
(R) Powerful search facility
(P) Automatic URL linking in posts
(R) Support of standard and extended BBCode tags in posts
(P) Polls
(R) Email notification of replies to topics
(R) Powerful topic subscription capability
(R) Emotions(Smiles) in posts
(P) Popular Discussions (Users can view the most popular topics from the main forum page).
(P) User Defined Bookmark for topics
(D) Internationalization (i18n) Support
(R) Forum, user and group permission management
(R) Moderation, so you can delegate the content moderation to a specific user
(R) Audit Logging in to database. Browse of audit logs by web interface.
(D) Control forum access to specified user groups
(R) Unlimited members
(R) Personal profile creation
(R) Post counting ranks for users
(P) Email-like private messaging system
(R) Supports avatars
(R) File attachment with posts
(R) Delete/move/lock/unlock of topics
(R) Delete single posts
(P) Move of posts
(P) Topic splitting
(P) Word censoring
(R) Extensive ban management, ban by email address, username or single/multiple IP address or hostname
(R) IP tracking of posts and posters
(R) Mass emailing of groups and users by the administrator
(P) Multiple styles available for the user to choose from