Hi, Which forum is best next to VB, and ofcourse should be free. Is that SMF? or should I go with phpBB or anything else? I'm thinking to start community for talks about Movies, fun stuff etc.
Well the second best is phpbb, but I think you should stick to VB... It's simply the best one out there.
It's all a matter of personal preferences. I chose SMF over phpBB because it's more secure and has more features. With phpBB I installed a bunch of mods to add extra features that are default with SMF, so saved me a lot of time when upgrading the forum or installing those mods. If you have to choose between phpBB and SMF, then I say go for SMF. There is also MyBB, but never really used that one. So can't tell you much about that.
When it comes to modifying the board, I am more comfortable with phpBB (because I know the ins and outs) than I am with SMF. phpBB misses a lot of useful features that SMF has in it's stock package, giving it an edge over phpBB. Nevertheless, I'd suggest SMF to you since it's more user/admin friendly than phpBB.
I've was using phpBB for a while, but decided to switch to myBB. It has a lot of features built in, and it is very customizable. However, the community isn't nearly as large as that of phpBB, so you'll find there is less support and available mods.
phpBB for those who want to make some huge theme tweakins as I do. It's simple and to the point. externall CSS and pages that can be saved on the PC, tweaked and uploaded again. HTML driven template and no limits to your creativity. Thousands of hacks for those who seem to like installing them (as I do). I run sites in all the big 5 scripts (VB, IPB, phpBB, SMF and MyBB) and to this day I am more in love with phpBB than any of them. As a skin designer I also chose this every time I can.
Having been busy developing ICo-Content over the last few months, I got a good insight into vB, phpBB and SMF. Code and functionality wise, vB is far superior. Second, in my mind, comes SMF. It's aestetically far more pleasing that phpBB's looks and code and has more useful options too IMO. Its license is also much easier to work with. PhpBB seems a bit outdated for what it is. Not very "2.0". So, I'd go with SMF (with my plugin to get it going )