First let me start off saying... Dolphine Community Script is a great idea of what a community script should consist of an the features it has to offer. But, it comes with a downside.
Their are numerous BUGS, ERRORS, etc.. Instead of the developers taking time to sit down an correct the problems. They continue to develop other versions. So they just keep adding more bugs an problems to the script. CURRENTLY there is no STABLE version available to download.
Furthermore, there are some more serious downsides to this script. Including but not limited to Script Callbacks to the developer site, Some security issues that have not been resolved, No direct Support. The developer site is not a very user friendly browsable site. You have to search for updates, download older versions, AND have to go to a off-site support forum. The developer site does not have its own support forum.
ALL in ALL this script is still in BETA mode. No matter what anyone says. Any Script that contains multiaple bugs an errors an esp. Security issues is considard BETA software. Once they get a stable version available to down load then an only then it will be removed from BETA STATUS.
IF I was ranking this script on a scale of 1 - 10 1 being lowest 10 being highest.
Below is the scale I would rank Current v5.6,
User Friendly 9 (Very Easy To Navigate) Security 3 (Due to Security/Callbacks) Functionality 4 (Too many Bugs) Features 8 (Pre-Installed Plugin Features) Add-On Modules 2 (Very few FREE modules) Themes 8 (Comes with 8 different Themes) Site Ingration 4 (Not easy to match your site) Concept 9 (True Socibale Script)
Overall 4
(This script can be a great script if all the bugs, security, more free add-ons, and much better support forum. This script comes with BASIC features but, to modify the features to work as they are intended too You have to PAY for the modules from other USERS. The script also has the feature to search by zip code but, YOU MUST buy the zip codes in order to make it work. So if a visitor was to search your database for memebers all they get is "No Members Found" every time. Their is no way to disble this feature.)
**NOTICE** This is only my opinions an review of this script. I feel that everyone should know what their getting into before they get into it. THIS script is only designed to work with a few servers. So you need to see if it is compatible with your server before you download an install it.
Krish
· 2 years ago
Pete,
I only meant PHPizabi. It may come with unencrypted code but its license is not an OSI approved license. The term open source is being abused by many companies and there is a discussion going on in the blogosphere about the abuse. I have also written a post in my blog about the issue. The term open source (unless you use as a literal english term) doesn't include licenses like the one that comes with PHPizabi. Thanks for responding.
Steve James
· 2 years ago
Krish,
I was on the fence about mentioning PHPizabi for the very reason you mentioned. I decided to include it because of it's popularity and being able to show true open source projects with it.
Krish
· 2 years ago
Please don't confuse yourself with open source and software offered for free. Some of the software you have mentioned do not have open source licenses.
Pete
· 2 years ago
" Pligg is an open source content management system available for download at no cost"
"Drupal.org is the official website of Drupal, an open source content management platform."
"NewsCloud is an open source media platform which you can use to launch your own grassroots media Web site. Or, you can get involved in the development of the NewsCloud platform"
"AROUNDMe is a GNU package. We use the General Public License (GPL) for our software meaning that you can copy our software, redistribute it, explore, change or modify the code."
"Dolphin Smart Community Builder is a universal, free, open source software that allows you to build any kind of online community."
"Even though PHPizabi is distributed unencrypted, it DOES NOT fall under any GPL license (Open Source does not necessarily mean OSD/GPL)."
"Elgg is an open source social networking platform developed for LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) which encompasses weblogging, file storage, RSS aggregation, personal profiles, FOAF functionality and more."
"The software that powers Mugshot is 100% open source, including the client and the server."
" Web-based social bookmarking system. Allows multiple users to store, share and tag their favourite links online. License: GNU General Public License (GPL) "
"GetBoo just turned to open-source, under the GPL license at the end of April. I don't have any expectations, but I am confident it will add to my experience!"
Alejandro
· 1 year ago
Dolphin and PHPIzabi are not open source. I don't see how something can be called Open Source if its license isn't approved by OSI, the FSF, Debian, or ANY FLOSS advocacy group. Just being able to see the source doesn't mean it's "open source".
RBA
· 2 years ago
Nice article, except that rather than saying Digg/MySpace/Del.icio.us I would have said Social News, Social Networking and Social Bookmarking".
I also have my own theory about the concept "Social News" but I'll leave that for another comment :-)
4 EveR YounG
· 2 years ago
Hi,
which between these platforms have a wiki inside?
Thanks in advance! :-) 4 EveR YounG
Webster
· 2 years ago
Drupal has a wiki module and a wiki installation profile.
Adam
· 2 years ago
While Wordpress is not technically a "social networking platform," and doesn't fit neatly into the Digg, MySpace, Delicious continuum, I don't think any social open source list is complete without it.
With all the plugins and widgets, it is a very powerful platform for building an online community.
Krish
· 2 years ago
Adam,
Just FYI. Blaze New Media has used Wordpress MU software to create a social networking platform. The site is chickspeak.com. I came across this news from Matt's site today. So your argument is valid. Wordpress should be included in any list about open source social networking platform.
miles
· 2 years ago
We're using Drupal w/a modified version of the vote up/down module for innerTee and its been pretty stable so far. A few performance issues but nothing major yet.
Krish
· 2 years ago
Thanks Steve for the clarification.
Doug
· 2 years ago
I've been using Pligg for a while now and love it! The development of the platform has come a long way since I first downloaded Pligg 6.01 last year.
The greatest thing about Pligg is the community. The Pligg forum hosts a community of developers that are eager to help.
Also, Pligg has great documentation and it's pretty easy for someone with minimal knowledge to get a site up and running.
Another thing to note is that the core developers, AshDigg, kbeeveer46 and Yankidank are also extremely helpful and are very dedicated to Pligg and the Pligg community.
tom
· 2 years ago
You can see Oxfam Use AROUNDMe. An example group is http://feedback.oxfamnovib.net/ - Each screen is fully customisable, you just pick your template, pick your style and insert the plugins (like blogs, forum, wiki) that you want. It is stable, but it is updated every few weeks so if you go for it expect regular feature updates.
danesc
· 2 years ago
great app... here is another app that I use to access my entire music collection on-demand from any browser by www.getmaestro.com
Maestro lets your friends listen to your favorite playlists from your Facebook profile. Express yourself through your personal music and entertain your friends. The time to socialize with your music is finally here... http://apps.facebook.com/maestro/
IN
· 2 years ago
i love Open Source...
dezinfreak
· 2 years ago
Another dil.icio.us opensource clone is sabro.us
CMDG
· 2 years ago
Thanks for the list! I'll try some of these interesting sources... :)
tobto.org
· 2 years ago
nice list. but which platform will be the Wordpress of social life?
Umesh
· 2 years ago
Dear Mashable,
Thanks for including dolphin, I am just one of their many admirers... But I would like to take this opportunity to say that Dolphin is a free open source script...!!!
To me the best solution to do a flick like site with an open source solution is Drupal. You must look at the various extensions (called module) that you need, but you could have tagging, API, nice display, etc...
Denis
· 1 year ago
Forgat to mention this link for a tutorial to build a flick like site with Drupal.
Brian
· 2 years ago
I've been working on an Open Source (GPL) social networking site (I guess it could be put in the MySpace category). What makes mine any different? It's written with valid XHTML / CSS (no tables, no hacks).
Great article - it's nice to see the best available for different types of communities.
Yes, I've installed Bevey, and it's simply fantastic. Seriously.
Ben Strackany
· 2 years ago
Another open source social networking app is DZOIC Handshakes.
Bill
· 2 years ago
Really, I didn't find anything mention "open source" on their site. Got a link?
Ben Strackany
· 2 years ago
Yep my bad, I was probably being too loose w/ 'open source,' and it's not free. It's source available, so if you pay the license fee you get the source code & can modify it at will.
A.J
· 2 years ago
Its not open source. Its semi open source, meaning you can use and alter most of the code, but not it all! and the licience is all covering. You do pay in other words!
Lovd by Less just launched today. It's an open source social network platform built in ruby on rails. Create your own community for free and customize. It takes a little understanding of ROR, but installation instructions at the download page give a nice step-by-step for those not familiar with it.
Lovd
· 1 year ago
We just launched in mid-March of 2008, but another option is LovdbyLess. It's an open source social networking platform from Less Everything that's free to download and customize. It's built with Ruby on Rails and since inception has had a terrific response from the community. Check it out and hopefully it's a good fit. We'd love to hear back with suggestions or fixes in the Google Group, too.
shafi
· 1 year ago
I am currently using a pligg based site which is really good. But this is more good that I have got such a nice lists you have given.
Bobblehead
· 1 year ago
I want to add a social platforms for custom bobblehead, anyone can help?
gestroud
· 1 year ago
The only problem with phpIzabi is that most of the more useful plugins/modules aren't free. Beyond that, it's a great piece of software.
RootLock
· 1 year ago
Greetings,
For me Dolphin is the best, most complete platform on the list. I looked a long time for something open source (got no money) and Dolphin is really the only one that suited my needs.
Negatives: difficult to set up, add-ons come with a price, ad removal license for a fee
As to the difficulty of set up, www.Joombyte.com installs Dolphin for free with hosting account. The install worked like a dream, and the little support that I've needed has been quick and complete. In addition, Joombyte.com is set up for social sites and has appropriate security (I drilled them on this!)
There are some more serious downsides to this script. Including but not limited to Script Callbacks to the developer site, Some security issues that have not been resolved, No direct Support. The developer site is not a very user friendly browsable site. You have to search for updates, download older versions, AND have to go to a off-site support forum. The developer site does not have its own support forum.
Tim
· 9 months ago
Don't trust Dolphin. All day want is your money. They don't even show a contact number and that is scary. Sorry but no thanks!
Indian Smartphones Blog
· 9 months ago
hey there.. nice review. and btw, i've used drupal, with some changes ofcourse.. and i've tried bevey too.. its also cool. you should try it sometime. CD Label Maker
John
· 8 months ago
Open source, or free, this is a good list! Thanks for taking the time to find these scripts and explain them...
Let's not nitpick whether they are truly open source or not. Give the guy some thanks!
Thanks!!
facebook-745930496
· 8 months ago
Looks interesting... I'll take a look later... ;)
Xonic
· 7 months ago
nice review, thanks for that list :-)
Bob Saint Clar
· 6 months ago
Interesting : but who is the best
Chris
· 5 months ago
Drupal is the ultimate open source platform that a developer/designer can use to build and evolve a site into anything that they require.
Seo Blog
· 3 months ago
Open source social platform are being popular now a days. As many of us like free products.
Patrick Algrim
· 2 years ago
I really wish there were a more simple open source social script. Kind of like the one Mashable uses :)
All Comments
First let me start off saying... Dolphine Community Script is a great idea of what a community script should consist of an the features it has to offer. But, it comes with a downside.
Their are numerous BUGS, ERRORS, etc.. Instead of the developers taking time to sit down an correct the problems. They continue to develop other versions. So they just keep adding more bugs an problems to the script. CURRENTLY there is no STABLE version available to download.
Furthermore, there are some more serious downsides to this script. Including but not limited to Script Callbacks to the developer site, Some security issues that have not been resolved, No direct Support. The developer site is not a very user friendly browsable site. You have to search for updates, download older versions, AND have to go to a off-site support forum. The developer site does not have its own support forum.
ALL in ALL this script is still in BETA mode. No matter what anyone says. Any Script that contains multiaple bugs an errors an esp. Security issues is considard BETA software. Once they get a stable version available to down load then an only then it will be removed from BETA STATUS.
IF I was ranking this script on a scale of 1 - 10 1 being lowest 10 being highest.
Below is the scale I would rank Current v5.6,
User Friendly 9 (Very Easy To Navigate)
Security 3 (Due to Security/Callbacks)
Functionality 4 (Too many Bugs)
Features 8 (Pre-Installed Plugin Features)
Add-On Modules 2 (Very few FREE modules)
Themes 8 (Comes with 8 different Themes)
Site Ingration 4 (Not easy to match your site)
Concept 9 (True Socibale Script)
Overall 4
(This script can be a great script if all the bugs, security, more free add-ons, and much better support forum. This script comes with BASIC features but, to modify the features to work as they are intended too You have to PAY for the modules from other USERS. The script also has the feature to search by zip code but, YOU MUST buy the zip codes in order to make it work. So if a visitor was to search your database for memebers all they get is "No Members Found" every time. Their is no way to disble this feature.)
**NOTICE** This is only my opinions an review of this script. I feel that everyone should know what their getting into before they get into it. THIS script is only designed to work with a few servers. So you need to see if it is compatible with your server before you download an install it.
I only meant PHPizabi. It may come with unencrypted code but its license is not an OSI approved license. The term open source is being abused by many companies and there is a discussion going on in the blogosphere about the abuse. I have also written a post in my blog about the issue. The term open source (unless you use as a literal english term) doesn't include licenses like the one that comes with PHPizabi. Thanks for responding.
I was on the fence about mentioning PHPizabi for the very reason you mentioned. I decided to include it because of it's popularity and being able to show true open source projects with it.
"Drupal.org is the official website of Drupal, an open source content management platform."
"NewsCloud is an open source media platform which you can use to launch your own grassroots media Web site. Or, you can get involved in the development of the NewsCloud platform"
"AROUNDMe is a GNU package. We use the General Public License (GPL) for our software meaning that you can copy our software, redistribute it, explore, change or modify the code."
"Dolphin Smart Community Builder is a universal, free, open source software that allows you to build any kind of online community."
"Even though PHPizabi is distributed unencrypted, it DOES NOT fall under any GPL license (Open Source does not necessarily mean OSD/GPL)."
"Elgg is an open source social networking platform developed for LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) which encompasses weblogging, file storage, RSS aggregation, personal profiles, FOAF functionality and more."
"The software that powers Mugshot is 100% open source, including the client and the server."
" Web-based social bookmarking system. Allows multiple users to store, share and tag their favourite links online. License: GNU General Public License (GPL) "
"GetBoo just turned to open-source, under the GPL license at the end of April. I don't have any expectations, but I am confident it will add to my experience!"
I also have my own theory about the concept "Social News" but I'll leave that for another comment :-)
which between these platforms have a wiki inside?
Thanks in advance! :-)
4 EveR YounG
With all the plugins and widgets, it is a very powerful platform for building an online community.
Just FYI. Blaze New Media has used Wordpress MU software to create a social networking platform. The site is chickspeak.com. I came across this news from Matt's site today. So your argument is valid. Wordpress should be included in any list about open source social networking platform.
The greatest thing about Pligg is the community. The Pligg forum hosts a community of developers that are eager to help.
Also, Pligg has great documentation and it's pretty easy for someone with minimal knowledge to get a site up and running.
Another thing to note is that the core developers, AshDigg, kbeeveer46 and Yankidank are also extremely helpful and are very dedicated to Pligg and the Pligg community.
Socialize Your Music.
Maestro lets your friends listen to your favorite playlists from your Facebook profile. Express yourself through your personal music and
entertain your friends. The time to socialize with your music is finally here... http://apps.facebook.com/maestro/
Thanks for including dolphin, I am just one of their many admirers... But I would like to take this opportunity to say that Dolphin is a free open source script...!!!
Regards
Umesh
once i ws searching for open source "flickr"?
or photo sharing social network?
is there any suggestion?
thanks
To me the best solution to do a flick like site with an open source solution is Drupal. You must look at the various extensions (called module) that you need, but you could have tagging, API, nice display, etc...
Great article - it's nice to see the best available for different types of communities.
www.bevey.com
Admittedly still in beta stage, but with lots of promise...
http://appleseed.sourceforge.net/
For me Dolphin is the best, most complete platform on the list. I looked a long time for something open source (got no money) and Dolphin is really the only one that suited my needs.
Negatives: difficult to set up, add-ons come with a price, ad removal license for a fee
As to the difficulty of set up, www.Joombyte.com installs Dolphin for free with hosting account. The install worked like a dream, and the little support that I've needed has been quick and complete. In addition, Joombyte.com is set up for social sites and has appropriate security (I drilled them on this!)
You can see my site at www.MyOMspot.com.
Thanks,
Rootlock
As to the Open Source controversy, I'm new to this world so I'm not really one to add to the debate.
http://www.elgg.org
CD Label Maker
Let's not nitpick whether they are truly open source or not. Give the guy some thanks!
Thanks!!
I'll take a look later... ;)
;)