Create a Forum System Like Nairaland Using PHP, MYSQL, AJAX and JQUERY Part One

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PHP is lighter and faster, the article explain how to develop a forum like nairaland using language like php, jquery, ajax and mysql. It's a new series in my blog, i would appreciate for any doubts or your feedback in the comment so that i could explain in a better way.

Here are few things to consider when developing a forum like this, the database aspect to hold all information concerning the forum posts, likes, views, comments and uploads files.

HOW DOES THE FORUM WORKS

Forums have a specific set of jargon associated with them; e.g., a single conversation is called a "thread", or topic.

A discussion forum is hierarchical or tree-like in structure: a forum can contain a number of subforums, each of which may have several topics. Within a forum's topic, each new discussion started is called a thread, and can be replied to by as many people as so wish.

Depending on the forum's settings, users can be anonymous or have to register with the forum and then subsequently log in in order to post messages. On most forums, users do not have to log in to read existing messages.

It seems to me that a lot of people here don't have an idea how a forum works. A forum is a community, not your personal helpdesk or a tutorials website. Of course there are tutorials here, and we can help you with your problem, but then you should contribute back. A way of doing that without much effort is when you are making a help me thread. When you solve the problem, don't edit your first post to the text "I figured it out, admin delete please", but edit in the solution so others with the same problem can get a solution, because in 99% of the times you are not the only one with that problem. But you have the chance to help those people that may have the problem by giving them the answer.

PHP AS THE BEST TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB

I would go for PHP too but not MySQL so not LAMP but PostgreSQL.

Why PHP?

1.      Because it can run on many platform Linux, BSD, Solaris, Mac OS, ... and eventually on Windows.

2.      Until proven otherwise, there is a bigger community on PHP side, which mean more help when you will need it and a lot of code already available.

3.      Using Linux, Apache, PHP, PostgreSQL and smarty as templeting system that would give you a highly powerful system and all of it for free.

4.      PHP is GNU licensed, ASP.NET is not

PHP frameworks give you the scaffolding to develop large Web applications which will need to be scaled at a later point. Personally I like using php for any per web application and now they released PHP 7, which is very good to increase our idea.

At the end of the day, that would be MY choice, but we are in a "free" world, so it might not be YOUR's.

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Angel