A Taste of Vanilla

Vanilla is a free, open-source forum software that approaches discussion forums from a different perspective, and with great success. At first glance Vanilla may appear to be a simple blogging software, but beyond the skinny commenting system lies an uncluttered discussion format that brings forums back to what it’s all about, the conversation.

A server with PHP 4.1 and MySQL 3.23 is robust enough to run Vanilla forum software. Upon a fresh install, Vanilla looks plain, empty, maybe even a little too simple. Gone are the smileys, gone are private messages (replaced by a whisper system that allows users to whisper comments or topics to one another), gone is the WYSIWYG editor and many of the other forums devices we have all grown accustomed to. Avatars are of minimal stature and there is no option for users signatures ¢â‚¬â€œ what!?

Instead what you get is a forum that brings you back to the basics. The discussions are the main focus, not the individual users nor the fancy graphics. The pages load lightning fast and, thanks to some subtle AJAX, posting is quicker than any other software I have experienced. Speed and simplicity is nice and all, but you want to use a software that doesn’t throw away all of your favorite features, don’t you?

Not to worry. Though the Vanilla user base is still fairly small, a number of developers have created many powerful add-ons and extensions for the software that are a piece of cake to install. You can bring all the editors and smileys back that you want and keep out what you don’t. Language packs, themes, statistics, profile editors, and dozens more extensions are at your whim to adjust everything from private messages to page layout. You literally have endless possibilities at your disposal to create the web forum of your dreams. There are even extensions to make the already speedy system even faster.

Vanilla is truly a next step in forum design. Where other forum software succeeds, Vanilla pushes it to the next level. Through simplistic design and infinite customization, Vanilla has become my favorite forum software thus far.

Past experiences with other software has led to user complaints and too many error messages to count. Since I’ve switched to using Vanilla on my websites, I have not encountered a single error. The only complaint from users I have had is at the beginning of their experience with the software, but after a few weeks of getting to know the new system those gripes fade away and they come to enjoy it as much as I do.

Creator of Vanilla forum software Mark O’Sullivan hasn’t stopped with Vanilla though, he’s working on a new forum software project that he intends to raise the bar with even higher. Garden is a multi-application PHP based software that will improve upon the success of Vanilla. Speed increases, further user customization, out-of-the-box friendly urls, new licensing model, and a new hosting solution combine to be only the tip of the iceberg for what Garden will offer. I am eagerly awaiting its release.

If you run any websites and use or have been curious about web forum software, I would strongly suggest giving Vanilla a try. Go beyond the first impressions though, delve a little deeper and you will begin to uncover the treasures hidden beneath the veil of simplicity. If you don’t want to or are unable to install your own version of Vanilla right now, I encourage you to check out the lussomo community and experience the software as a user. I’m sure you will come out of this experience thinking a little differently about modern web forums.

I have only begun to describe to you all that Vanilla has to offer. You can only find out by experiencing it yourself. Leave a comment and let me know what you think of the software.