• Registered: 2008-09-14
  • Posts: 22

Topic: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

I'm new around here. I guess I'm confused on which to go with -- FluxBB or PunBB. I thought I read that PunBB was stalled and FluxBB was a fork with most of the original developers. But then when I found that the very latest Flux 1.3 Beta 2 didn't have Private Messages, nor a working beta mod, I had to look elsewhere. So I downloaded the PunBB 1.3 RC and got the pun_pm mod working just fine with it. I also noticed that the files inside were updated very recently. To me, that doesn't sound like PunBB is being pushed aside for Flux -- that sounds like more active development on PunBB than Flux.

And PM is a really important thing for me -- my client had this as a request on a proposal, and originally I used phpBB for that very reason. But then as I got used to phpBB and learned how aggravating it was to theme and build my own components for, I had to look elsewhere. I wanted something more recent, so I dropped the idea of SMF. So that's when I noticed on forums.devnetwork.net that a guy recently posted a message there that he liked PunBB. I gave it a shot, and I compared it to SMF, and I liked it's look a lot more.

So, there's still active development on PunBB, right?

2 Reply by Utchin (edited by Utchin 2008-09-14 09:33)

  • Utchin
  • PunBB senior member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2007-02-09
  • Posts: 760

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

volomike wrote:

I'm new around here. I guess I'm confused on which to go with -- FluxBB or PunBB. I thought I read that PunBB was stalled and FluxBB was a fork with most of the original developers. But then when I found that the very latest Flux 1.3 Beta 2 didn't have Private Messages, nor a working beta mod, I had to look elsewhere. So I downloaded the PunBB 1.3 RC and got the pun_pm mod working just fine with it. I also noticed that the files inside were updated very recently. To me, that doesn't sound like PunBB is being pushed aside for Flux -- that sounds like more active development on PunBB than Flux.

And PM is a really important thing for me -- my client had this as a request on a proposal, and originally I used phpBB for that very reason. But then as I got used to phpBB and learned how aggravating it was to theme and build my own components for, I had to look elsewhere. I wanted something more recent, so I dropped the idea of SMF. So that's when I noticed on forums.devnetwork.net that a guy recently posted a message there that he liked PunBB. I gave it a shot, and I compared it to SMF, and I liked it's look a lot more.

So, there's still active development on PunBB, right?


Fluxbb has allot more developers working on the core. Punbb are mainly working on the extensions as they are mainly using fluxbb core (to keep compatibility). Fluxbb does have a PM mod as well, and will soon have a proper page for all extensions. Fluxbb has a bigger and better community as well.

If you have falling in love with punbb then you should be over at flexbb, because they are the developers who designed it.!

Sorry. Unactive due to personal life.
  • Registered: 2008-09-14
  • Posts: 22

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

So what version of Flux should I be using if I'm liking 1.3 RC of Pun? And where is that PM mod that works? I really like the PM mod I found for Pun. (It's the one that makes a directory pun_pm and its manifest.xml says "Private Messaging 1.0b".)

  • Utchin
  • PunBB senior member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2007-02-09
  • Posts: 760

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

punbb 1.3 beta 2 mods work on fluxbb beta 2 aswell, all mods should work on each forum.

Sorry. Unactive due to personal life.
  • Registered: 2008-09-14
  • Posts: 22

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

Utchin wrote:

punbb 1.3 beta 2 mods work on fluxbb beta 2 aswell, all mods should work on each forum.

I tried the Pun PM mod on Flux and it didn't work. Perhaps because all the code inside kept referring to Pun instead of Flux?

I've got a long-term client need at stake here -- I need to decide which to go with, Pun or Flux? If Flux is the way to go, then I need a working PM mod and I need to become really convinced that this is where the active development is.

  • Utchin
  • PunBB senior member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2007-02-09
  • Posts: 760

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

Im not trying to convince you of anything, chose what you feal is best for you but you can see for yourself, the punbb and fluxbb TRAC:

http://fluxbb.org/trac/timeline

http://punbb.informer.com/trac/timeline

And you can see that a few of the punbb commits are "imported from fluxbb" Punbb is based on fluxbb ( who is based on punbb). You can see that punbb is just using the fluxbb code becuase Fluxbb have the upper hand.

Pun_PM should work on fluxbb beta 2, but there is also an extension for fluxbb: http://punbb.informer.com/trac/timeline

Beta 2 is stable, how ever i woudnt think about using it as a offical forum for your needs, All the code is out dated and is not the latest code.

Sorry. Unactive due to personal life.
  • Registered: 2008-09-14
  • Posts: 22

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

Okay, now that's something I didn't know. Okay, I'll start to work on moving my changes over to FluxBB and to get the PM working. PM is pretty critical for my client.

  • Registered: 2008-09-14
  • Posts: 22

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

Okay, so I switched over to FluxBB. I basically downloaded the latest build from SVN.

I tried to install the pun_pm mod. Sure enough, it installed. However, it does not show up in the menus either for admin or any new user I create. So, it's broke.

I found another one here...

http://connorhd.co.uk/fluxbb/private_messaging.zip

...but I'm going to try it out.

  • Registered: 2008-09-14
  • Posts: 22

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

Yep, this link installed:

http://connorhd.co.uk/fluxbb/private_messaging.zip

...but it was not working properly. First, you don't see New Messages. Second, when you go to your profile and try to compose a message, it's got errors and doesn't function.

I'm going back now to pun_pm to see if I can go to Profile, create my first private message, and see if that enables the new messages link on all the pages.

  • Registered: 2008-09-14
  • Posts: 22

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

volomike wrote:

I'm going back now to pun_pm to see if I can go to Profile, create my first private message, and see if that enables the new messages link on all the pages.

Okay, that didn't work either. I think I'm going to have to delete FluxBB and reinstall from the stable Beta 2 version, rather than the latest development release, and see if that fixes things.

  • Registered: 2008-09-14
  • Posts: 22

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

volomike wrote:

Okay, that didn't work either. I think I'm going to have to delete FluxBB and reinstall from the stable Beta 2 version, rather than the latest development release, and see if that fixes things.

Installing pun_pm on stable Beta2 also fails with:

Fatal error: Call to undefined method DBLayer::create_table() in /var/www/e1/forum/admin/extensions.php(139) : eval()'d code on line 61

  • Registered: 2008-09-14
  • Posts: 22

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

volomike wrote:

Installing pun_pm on stable Beta2 also fails with:

Fatal error: Call to undefined method DBLayer::create_table() in /var/www/e1/forum/admin/extensions.php(139) : eval()'d code on line 61

And when you try to install the other Pun PM, the one with folder private_messaging, it fails with:

The error occurred on line 305 in /var/www/e1/forum/include/dblayer/mysqli.php

Database reported: Table 'e1.groups' doesn't exist (Errno: 1146).

  • Registered: 2008-09-14
  • Posts: 22

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

Utchin wrote:

And you can see...

All I can see is that PunBB has a working Private Messaging feature, while Flux does not, and I've been patient enough to try every conceivable normal means to install the two separate PM mods that are out there.

Based on time constraints, I guess I'll go with PunBB for now. If and when FluxBB has a working PM mod and is stable in other aspects, I'll go back and switch to it. (However, that might be scary as far as moving all the existing forum posts and PMs from PunBB to Flux.)

Now, the one thing I didn't try is version 1.2 of Flux, but I imagine that's pretty ancient by now.

14 Reply by Utchin (edited by Utchin 2008-09-15 14:32)

  • Utchin
  • PunBB senior member
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2007-02-09
  • Posts: 760

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

Look like i said im not trying to convince you to go with fluxbb, and if i wanted i could find out what your problem is but there is no point..

All im saying is that if you get stuck while using punbb you will only be helped by developers. There are no other support people here.

PS. There is a Edit button not just a post button.

Sorry. Unactive due to personal life.
  • Registered: 2008-09-14
  • Posts: 22

Re: Confused -- PunBB, FluxBB

Okay, Utchin. I understand. Thanks.