3 Great Open Source Software Solutions
Written by Gino on 07-21-2008 - 9 Responses
Open source software is software in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design. These three open source software downloads are all free and can be great additions to your site, making for a better user experience, more return visits and more unique visitors per month.
Free Open Source Software
1. Vanilla - Forum
Vanilla is a great free open source forum software that you can install on your site to allow people to start discussions. It comes with all kinds of features such as customizable account profiles, anti spam measures and pretty much anything else you could dream of. Its so easy to customize and is a great option if you are looking to increase traffic to your site and give your readers a place to chat.
2. Pligg - Rating Systems & User Generated Content
Pligg is a great content management system that allows you to create sites similar to digg.com where users can submit links which can be rated by users. Their are some good pre-made templates available, but most people design and implement their own unique templates. Its easy to set up and its a good option for a stand-alone site or as a way to add more content to a pre-existing site.
3. jobberBase - Job Board
Job boards can be extremely difficult to create from scratch, but with this awesome open source software called jobberBase you can get your own slick looking job board up and running in minutes for any niche you can think of. This is a super way to get people coming back to your site and can be turned into a great way to monetize your site even further.
Know any other kick-butt free open source software? Let us know below!
Benjamin Alijagi? | July 21st, 2008
Maybe http://www.magentocommerce.com/ ?
Adam - creadiv.com | July 21st, 2008
Sweet that job board is exactly what I have been looking for.
Thanks
Adam
pligg.com | July 22nd, 2008
3 Great Open Source Software Website Enhancements | You the Designer…
Open source software is software in which the source code is available to the general public for use and/or modification from its original design. These three open source software downloads are all free and can be great additions to your site, making f…
Steven Snell | July 22nd, 2008
Does anyone have experience with jobberBase? It looks pretty good, just wondering if anyone has an opinion after using it.
Simanov | July 23rd, 2008
All three of those are great, but I do have to say that those are very focused on a business perspective/user. Other open source software such as Wordpress (not only blogging capabilities, great overall tool to fit almost any customer need), Joomla, PhPBB, Drupal, SimpleMachine, Zenphoto, etc. are also very useful in building communities, or simple and cheap solutions to customer needs (and designer needs in that aspect). I just think those shouldn’t be overlooked. I have to say, I’ve added all three of those to my list of valuable resources.
Hackmo | July 23rd, 2008
Another addition I thought would be good is fluxbb.org
It’s an open source forum which is designed to be fast and lightweight. It does this by keeping out all the “bloat” that is usually shipped with forum software. If you want to add extra features after you install it you can do by installing extensions. This is a great way for you to design your forum exactly the way you want it.
Abdullah Cetin CAVDAR | July 24th, 2008
I have not heard about the vanilla before. It looks pretty good. I can try it. In addition, jobberbase is very interesting. It can be useful for some businesses. Most of us know about pligg I think.
Thanks a lot.
Acuity Designs | July 24th, 2008
Thanks! Great List.. Pligg definently is going to be used
Mel
Dan Randow | August 5th, 2008
Another open source forum tool wort considering is GroupServer. GroupServer provides email lists with a web forum interface. The groups function something like Yahoo! Groups or Google Groups, but in a context that can be customised. The GroupServer site itself is an example, and many other examples can be seen at OnlineGroups.Net.
At OnlineGroups.Net, you can start sites and online groups using GroupServer, without having to install and maintain the software. There are no ads, and you get all your groups on a site of your own. Public groups are free, and private groups are free for the first month, and then available for a subscription.