Simple Machines Forum (abbreviated as SMF) is a freeware Internet forum script. The script is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database backend, although multi-database support is being developed for version 2.0. SMF is developed by the Simple Machines development team.
Simple Machines Forum History click
hereFutureOn 8th April 2007, Simple Machines announced the introduction of their next version, SMF 2.0 . SMF 2.0 has been in development alongside SMF 1.1 since December 2005. This version will have many new features, including:
* Database abstraction - with support for PostgreSQL and SQLite planned alongside that of MySQL.
* Automatic installation of packages into themes other than just the default.
* Email templates to simplify customization of forum emails.
* Moderation center including post, topic and attachment moderation - to allow approving of user content before it is made public.
* User warning system.
* Additional group functionally including group moderators and requestable/free assignable groups.
* WYSIWYG editor to provide an intuitive user interface to those users not familiar with BBCode.
* Permission improvements such as group inheritance and permission profiles to further reduce the complexity of the permissions system.
* File based caching for a performance increase on all forums regardless of whether an accelerator is installed.
* Mail queuing system to stagger the sending of emails to improve performance on large forums.
* Advanced signature settings to allow the administrator of a forum to more tightly control the contents of users signatures.
* Personal messaging improvements including ability to automatically sort incoming messages and a variety of display options.
* Improved upgrade script with better timeout protection and simpler user interface.
* Custom profile fields to enable administrators to add additional member fields from the administration center.
* Use of OpenID.
The first public beta of SMF 2.0 was released on Monday, March 17th 2008.
LocalizationSMF is available in over 38 languages, including Albanian, Arabic, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch,
English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai,
Turkish and Ukrainian. It can be translated to other languages by volunteers. UTF-8 and non-UTF-8 encodings are available for all.
ModificationsSMF has a modification base repository for free modification hosting and tracking via the Simple Machines main site. Many modifications, or "mods" as they are usually called, have been created and distributed free of charge, including an arcade, profile additions, gallery, RPG system, spam filter, various SEO features, and many more. Before being listed on the SMF Mods site, the mod is validated by the SMF Team, to ensure that it complies with the SMF Coding Guidelines.
The Package Manager included in SMF is one of the flagship features. It allows an administrator to install modifications and updates to SMF without having to modify the code of the script, usually with only a few mouse clicks.
The SMF teamThe Simple Machines team includes graphics, documentation, customisation, localization, marketing, and management divisions. The SMF support staff and users also provide free support on the official community forums. Their duties include helping forum owners with troubleshooting and optimization.
Charter MembersPeople who wish to support Simple Machines with a donation of
50 USD yearly are rewarded with a Charter Membership. This grants access to a hidden section on the forum and advanced beta versions to test before they go public. Advanced support for SMF including installation and upgrades by the staff are also provided. Charter Members also get access to a private Helpdesk staffed by the Simple Machines Support Team where Charter Members can receive one-on-one support outside of the public forum.
SMF and free softwareSMF is occasionally criticized for not being available under a free software license; the developers acknowledge this. Redistribution of the software, even unmodified, is not allowed without written permission. The source code is not redistributable either, although it is allowed to distribute instructions on how to modify it. The official response is:
Sometimes people ask us: "Why do you care that people are redistributing it?" and the reason is that although we believe in giving back to the Open Source community, we also believe that the volunteers that make up this project deserve the credit. On top of that, allowing unlimited redistribution encourages project forking and could lead to confusion about what versions are supported.
—Simple Machines LLC
