Its powerful custom made template engine puts you in full control of the lay-out of your message board and with our unique SSI (Server Side Includes) function you can let your forum and your website interact with each other.

SMF is written in the popular language PHP and uses a MySQL database. It is designed to provide you with all the features you need from a bulletin board while having an absolute minimal impact on the resources of the server. SMF is the next generation of forum software – and best of all it is and will always remain completely free!

I’ve personally installed, configured and tested SMF and have no problems recommending it to those looking at starting up their own online community.

You can find more information and download Simple Machines Forum from www.simplemachines.org