I just read through the version-history and feature list of the Spam Board and read things like polished admin panel, web installer and platinum version...

Will the Spam Board ever be released as free to use forum software?

Most of the documentation has basically just been written for me, to remind myself of the course it took. Including the random fancy names for a few versions

I actually started this script as a very well documented project with well-commented code and additional help files so that even a total newbie would be able to install and use it. There are even 'upgrade scripts' which could take users from one major version to the next (because I thought that's the easiest way to upgrade this 'official' forum in one step, in contrast to my local test board ).

With the last few versions, I've been slacking there a bit, though. That's where comments like 'polished admin panel' in the history come from - I had just added features to the board without providing easy frontends.

So, to make a long story short, it's already kind-of free (it just was never put under any license 'officially'). If you want it, you can have it. Mind you that the codebase is extremely dated by now, though. Most of it is hardcoded, and the database does contain quite a bit of unnecessary overhead data which wouldn't be necessary. I seriously think it's not worth building on this code anymore, thus my remarks about a rewrite being necessary if I ever get to carry on development again.

I would still like to take a look at it. No matter how dated or slacky the code is, it can't hurt a mediocre C-Programmer.

If it is no problem to you, you can just mail the package to my dregenprogs-address.


Ah, the famous I should start this all over, now I would make it totally different-story. Reminds me of someone. (or just like everyone? )

The main reason for my question was, that I found it necessary to create / offer another alternative for phpBB-Boards. I just can't see it anymore. I know there are still good alternatives out there but another contestor(?) can only be good thing.

The other reason was curiosity.

Edited by dregenRocks at 18:03 on December, 09th 2004

Actually, there are a lot of very good free boards out there. When I was loking for a forum for my site, I tested a bunch of them. Many of them were good - mostly there were just one or two unnecessary features that kept me from using them.


That true, indeed...

E-Mail is on the way. It would be nice if you wouldn't spread it any further for now, for the same reason stated in the e-mail: I'm not sure if the archive is free of Spam Club specific information. Other than that (i.e. after it has been confirmed), giving it away freely is fine (not that many people would want it ).

Indeed - it's always the same. When I had finished coding the current incarnation of TGOD, I was already fed up both with the coding style as well as the design...

That's one of the main reasons why I've never even considered using phpBB for anything: Everybody seems to be using it! It wouldn't be nearly as bad as it is if people would at least put in their own logo and change the colour scheme a bit instead of using all the defaults

I just made some screenshots of the '3.0 Alpha' version I started in August this year. It's not fully working, of course. As you might notice, there aren't any buttons to post, because so far, it's only possible to view the database snapshot I made for this project with this script. Any interaction apart from logging in and out isn't available yet.

Anyway, this is a topic overview page.

Edited by Mr Creosote at 19:35 on December, 09th 2004

This is the index.

This is a topic view. Please don't take these images as a promise or anything. I haven't touched the code for two months now, so there is no schedule or anything.

Looks nice. However, the current version seems to be working perfect anyway. You could simply apply the new layout to the old code if you want a new look.

That'd be about the same amount of work as a complete recode because the old design is completely interwoven into the other stuff The idea behind it is also to make it more adaptive and customizable. In any case, don't worry. I'm not planning to replace this version just for the sake of it.

Edited by Mr Creosote at 17:20 on December, 11th 2004

First, thanks again!

I managed to install it on my localhost and there are some quite interesting features.


Don't worry, I'll keep it on my computer. But the only hardcoded, spam-club-specific things in the forum are the links in the upper-right corner or did I miss something?


I'm excited.
Do you only renew the code-base and structure or do you want to add some new features?

Just out of curiosity: A Unix-like host or (gasp) Windows? It would surprise me if it worked on the latter...

That would mean that I successfully kept the two versions (the 'neutral' one and the 'used' one) apart There are a few other changes here in this forum, e.g. the 'Mr Creosote' link on the bottom, the configuration file (config.php) contains the local passwords and so on.

Only recoding it for the sake of itself would be useless as it is currently working as it should. Of course, redoing the current features is top priority, but with potential for improvements in mind. Mysterious, eh?

Windows... *duck*
I did this because it's my internet-system/partition, because of problems with my DSL-connection. But in the next weeks, during the christmas-holidays I will at last renew all systems and partitions completely. I'm just waiting for my new harddisk...

That's actually good news, because it means I've exceeded my target audience without doing anything How are the file permissions handled? Did you set something manually (like a 'writable' attribute)?

There are no real file permissions, but more permissions for each existing directory, which only the administrator may give and take away and of couse the casual user for directories which he created himself in its own realm.

But I am glad, if I can build my partitions completely new in a few days...