Why Forum Software Sucks

#1

I hate forum software. Not just SMF but all of them. You need all kinds of mods or extensions just to get essential functions. Take for example the following. I want the Girls forums to show publicly, but you can't see the threads. I want it to be where if you click, it will ask you to log in and then if you have permissions you can look at the threads and posts. The reason being is that I want the girls to see girls sections so they know they are there and will be more inclined to register. If hackers were to ever get into the database, then the messages would be safe. Don't want an Ashley Madison of LPIN.

You cannot does this in SMF. There is a mod for an old version, but it's buggy. If you want to do this, you have to change the code. This particular function is a lot of work because you can easily leave it open or close off others if the logic is wrong. You really shouldn't mess with it. phpBB does this with no problem, but it has other simple tasks that need mods. Its template system is a mess. MyBB might work, but it's gallery sucks. In fact, all of the galleries suck for forums.

I could not find any forum software that encrypts the personal messages. The attitude is, "why to spend so much time setting that up when PMs are just emojis and crap?" Which in itself is a bs answer. No one needs to have the power to read your messages.

The worst thing of all is that forums are not compatible with social media which is what everyone uses!

Time for something new.