FWIW -- the programs I've tried, used, and narrowed down to the finalists were:
1) SQL Admin - phpMyAdmin -- requires PHP, but makes managing the SQL server _bearable_ and almost fun
2) phorum - PHP based Forum software - good features, very powerful, but you need to know PHP to really use it.
3) Sporum - perl-based forum software, clone of UBB & wwwthreads (lots of barbs back and forth between those three products). Sporum is advancing rapidly, and has a "community" goal with email and private forums, etc. Not a bad program, but the install has gotten complex, and the docs are incomplete, and you are pretty much on your own -- if you are going to try it -- you install the "sp" programs first in your cgi-bin, then the "sporum" software into that directory, and then the mail program if you use it. the "sp" acts as a "manager" program for web-based admin. Not very clear in the forum/docs. I chose to _not_ use it mainly because the color scheme and other layout details bothered me -- and it really looked bad on MSIE with my high speed connection.
3) wwwthreads -- really maturing -- version 5 is a UBB clone (the colors have to be lightened a bit to make it more readable (it has a "dark" executive look, while UBB has a light-airy look It's moving to a "community" theme as well, and has ways of ranking posters, and other features that were very appropriate to my sort of site. It also has a proven trackrecord and a loyal -almost religious- following. I chose it over Sporum mainly for the community features it had, and that it seemed to be a lot easier to get working
4) fishcart -- PHP shopping cart program -- I'm still debating this one. I have to learn PHP to use it... and I'm really waiting for minivend 4.0 to reach beta first.
5) MiniVend -- C and Perl based, powerful, etc, ad nauseum. Probably the best way to go because it _is_ open source, and C/perl-based (read NOT php, ASP, etc), long track record, fanatical following, strong leadership, a large consulting base, etc. If you are staking your business on a product, you _want_ it to be open source. A shopping cart is one of those products that your economic livelihood eventually depends on -- you don't want their corporate takeover or bankruptcy to affect you. Version 3.xx is a bear to install and customize... 4.0 promises to be much easier with more features.
6) WebCart -- perl based, [expensive -- but not as much as others] was a last minute contender... but I thought long and hard about the points made for the MiniVend option above, and I went back to banging away at fishcart and hoping that the MiniVend 4.0 beta will be available soon <IMG SRC="http://www.gossamer-threads.com/scripts/forum/resources
1) SQL Admin - phpMyAdmin -- requires PHP, but makes managing the SQL server _bearable_ and almost fun
2) phorum - PHP based Forum software - good features, very powerful, but you need to know PHP to really use it.
3) Sporum - perl-based forum software, clone of UBB & wwwthreads (lots of barbs back and forth between those three products). Sporum is advancing rapidly, and has a "community" goal with email and private forums, etc. Not a bad program, but the install has gotten complex, and the docs are incomplete, and you are pretty much on your own -- if you are going to try it -- you install the "sp" programs first in your cgi-bin, then the "sporum" software into that directory, and then the mail program if you use it. the "sp" acts as a "manager" program for web-based admin. Not very clear in the forum/docs. I chose to _not_ use it mainly because the color scheme and other layout details bothered me -- and it really looked bad on MSIE with my high speed connection.
3) wwwthreads -- really maturing -- version 5 is a UBB clone (the colors have to be lightened a bit to make it more readable (it has a "dark" executive look, while UBB has a light-airy look
It's moving to a "community" theme as well, and has ways of ranking posters, and other features that were very appropriate to my sort of site. It also has a proven trackrecord and a loyal -almost religious- following. I chose it over Sporum mainly for the community features it had, and that it seemed to be a lot easier to get working 4) fishcart -- PHP shopping cart program -- I'm still debating this one. I have to learn PHP to use it... and I'm really waiting for minivend 4.0 to reach beta first.
5) MiniVend -- C and Perl based, powerful, etc, ad nauseum. Probably the best way to go because it _is_ open source, and C/perl-based (read NOT php, ASP, etc), long track record, fanatical following, strong leadership, a large consulting base, etc. If you are staking your business on a product, you _want_ it to be open source. A shopping cart is one of those products that your economic livelihood eventually depends on -- you don't want their corporate takeover or bankruptcy to affect you. Version 3.xx is a bear to install and customize... 4.0 promises to be much easier with more features.
6) WebCart -- perl based, [expensive -- but not as much as others] was a last minute contender... but I thought long and hard about the points made for the MiniVend option above, and I went back to banging away at fishcart and hoping that the MiniVend 4.0 beta will be available soon <IMG SRC="http://www.gossamer-threads.com/scripts/forum/resources
Add-on programs and other site mangement tools