Hi,

I help manage a small forum that I would like to convert to better software. The problem is that right now, PHP is not an option, and none of the actively maintained non-PHP forum software that I've seen matches what I'm looking for. However, I've been a member of several communities using WWWThreads/UBB.threads and have always enjoyed the software.

So, here's my question: Is there any way that I could purchase a license to download and use the old Perl version of WWWThreads 5.4.x? I know that it is discontinued and do not expect any sort of support or bug fixes, and I am willing to accept any risks involved in running it. I just want to use something tried and true rather than the buggy software I'm currently using, and nothing that I've seen compares to the feature set and the look and feel of WWWThreads/UBB.threads, even the older versions.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

A license to UBB.threads includes a license to UBB.Classic which is what I'd recommend in the case of not being able to run threads (as it's MySQL/Perl). Threads and Classic where developed side by side for years, and although being EOL now, classic is still a highly popular forum solution

I think Classic is still in the members area.

:nod: hence the suggestion big boy hehe

Thank you for the replies so far. I had almost forgotten about UBB.classic, and I know that it is a good forum software solution, but threaded mode is one of the main features I'm looking for. Additionally, I believe that it is flat-file-based, and I would like to avoid that since I have had flat-file poll and counter scripts that have been wiped out in the past due to quotas being exceeded or server hard drives being full.

Just a as a question: why can't you use PHP based forum software? Is it because your server doesn't support it? You could always look for a better server that supports it.

If that is not an option for you, I guess you could PM Rick and ask him if he has the latest copy of the WWWThreads Perl version. Remember, if you decide to move up to UBB.threads 7.2, you will need a UBB.threads 6.x board, as an "upgrade" to a UBB.threads 7.x board is not a simple upgrade, but an import.

I highly doubt you'll be able to find many Perl/MySQL scripts out there for forum software, as everyone's gone the PHP/MySQL route...

I would have serious reservations against WWWThreads, as it hasn't been deved in, forever (especially the perl version), and is definately EOL, I would expect that there be some major security issues as a possibility, and as it isn't developed, they could arise anywhere and you'll have no real method for patching...

Honestly, UBB.C6.7.3 would be my only recommendation in this case; which yes, does do flat file storage (which every perl based forum I've ever used does flat file storage as well).

Restrictions imposed by my host. I could look for a better one, but I have several sites hosted there, and I don't have time to move them all.


Very true. There are still a few of them left, but none of them are all that good. That's what brings me back to asking about WWWThreads, since it both meets those requirements and is a really good software solution.


You're right, those are definitely problems to consider. However, I wouldn't have brought up the idea of using such old software if it weren't for the fact that I'm a software developer. The first thing I would do upon installing WWWThreads would be to go through security-related web sites and patch up the known vulnerabilities. That would probably take care of 99% of potential attacks, since most people who deface sites don't know a thing about writing their own exploits and rely on the publicly available ones instead.

And before anyone asks, no, I don't have the time to code my own forum software.

I'd need to check and see if we even have a copy of this available and on hand. On top of that we couldn't actually give you any support on it either since it's extremely old. I will check, but can't make any promises.