Question For Webmasters

[DarkReality]

For anyone that runs a message board:

What costs are involved in running a message board? Specifically:

* How much does it cost to license the board software? Is it a one-time, periodical (monthly, yearly, etc.), or based on stats, e.g. number of posts? I'm not interested in EZboard at all (they suck), but either phpBB (http://www.entrenched.org/phpBB2/index.php) or Invision Power Board (http://www.klboard.ath.cx/) (click each name for a sample to see that board in action).

* Web space. I know this varies greatly - but do you have to get one that supports SQL? What about mySQL or whatever? Is that the same? Also, in terms of web space, what does a message board use in terms of storage space and bandwidth?

[Lamsey]

Invision Power Board is free to use. Try Googling ;)

[djweiser]

Message boards, again vary in bandwidth and webspace depending on how popular your board will be, and how you set it up. (you may configer it so it automatically deletes messages to keep the size down). Id say with a 500mb, 30gb bandwidth or so plan it would be ample to host a preety popular message board. I believe the k-lite board users around 200GB monthly - but this is a VERY popular board

[VB]

Thanks to great inventions like gZIP we have less than 100 GB Traffic / Month.


Id say with a 500mb, 30gb bandwidth or so plan it would be ample to host a preety popular message board.

But remember that you can't install a "Pretty popular message board" on a shared server. > 40 Users online ? => Own Server.


Invisionboard has an unlimited free trial, but you can't post in their support forums ( need to pay for this ).

phpBB is completley free, it's even OpenSource.

[djweiser]

Originally posted by VB@14 October 2003 - 16:15
Thanks to great inventions like gZIP we have less than 100 GB Traffic / Month.


Id say with a 500mb, 30gb bandwidth or so plan it would be ample to host a preety popular message board.

But remember that you can't install a "Pretty popular message board" on a shared server. > 40 Users online ? => Own Server.


Invisionboard has an unlimited free trial, but you can't post in their support forums ( need to pay for this ).

phpBB is completley free, it's even OpenSource.
o right, didnt know abt the shared server thing.

[Amarjit]

Originally posted by netweiser-@14 October 2003 - 15:53
(you may configer it so it automatically deletes messages to keep the size down).
Yes, this is called pruning. phpBB is by far the popular of the two, due to it being open-sourced, leading to an opportunity of thousands of modifications being designed. vBulletin, however is specifically designed for bandwidth-intensive boards, but it requires a license to run, I believe there is a hash in the Verified Software forum though. ;)