Hello, I am looking for a forum software that will allow me to create a very simplistic forum. The main requirement, however, is that the software support post slug style permalinks (i.e. domain.com/forum/post-title). I am currently using SMF with the Pretty URLs Mod and a simple theme, but would like something even more barebones. bbpress doesn't work for me, because it's permalink structure isn't quite simple enough. I'll appreciate any tips. Thanks for looking.
Quick question - are you looking for a "standalone" system or are you planning on using your forum with a CMS (such as WordPress)? MyBB, PunBB and MiniBB are supposed to be VERY lightweight and without a lot of the features (or bloat, depending on your POV) of the other larger forums. However, you may need to tweak these to get exactly what you want. If you haven't already, take a look at opensourcecms to see what is currently well rated. Here is the direct link to the forums listing: http://php.opensourcecms.com/scripts/show.php?catid=5&cat=Forums If nothing else, this will show you a pretty decent list of forums to evaluate.
http://getvanilla.com/ that stuff kicks some serious ass I don't recall if you want comes out of the box but there is a plugin for it if need be. Nigel
Vanilla is definitely one of the best. It's simple yet engaging enough as a community. You may also consider bbPress.