most forum software allows you to modify it, which means that you can add or change features.
for example, something like a fg system exists for a lot of forum software systems.
the look can be customized so that it looks exactly the way you want it.
coding such a system from scratch would require a lot of time and also some knowledge.
i suggest that you try to use an existing system and then modify it, that should be the best solution if you don't need something really special.
if you want someone to write a custom script, you should be prepared to pay a lot for it. web development isn't cheap.
even small addons like a nice fg system (which provides other or more functionality than the existing ones) will cost a lot.
also, installing an existing fg system or other addons requires some knowledge - or fg or money, if you want someone else to do it.
i did my first few forums with phpbb, which is free to use. there are a lot of addons for that system, including a fg system.
however, it looks really different from d2jsp, so if you want it to look similar it will require a lot of changes.
other things which could be hard to get as addons (or even built in by default) are:
> profiles with bbcode, like the profiles on d2jsp - most systems just allow adding some info there (aim, msn, email, birthday and similar stuff)
> stars - most systems have ranks built in which can be used for stars or similar things, but they are usually automatically calculated and the user cannot select his highest star
> custom bbcodes, such as tables - usually, adding simple bbcodes like videos or similar is easy, but tables are way more complex
> seamlessly integrating the forum into an existing website (including logins, user groups, and some other things)
i am currently coding my own forum software from scratch for all the reasons above
some hints i can give - i have some experience with forums, and i made most of the following mistakes:
> starting a forum just because you want to run a forum is pointless, only do that if you actually need a place to discuss things
> do not start by creating 20 subforums - nothing is worse for a community than 20 forums without any posts
> you will have to start the first few discussions - do not expect your visitors to start discussions in an empty forum
> do not promote more than max 2 users to moderators until you think this is required - just because your friends join the forum, they dont need to become moderators
> do not ask for too much information on registration - username, password, email and maybe language, time and display style settings should do
> do not add features just because they are cool - only add features which are actually useful and improve the usability or add features you really need
> a simple look is usually better than one with too many colors, fonts, images, whatever
> make sure that the site loads fast - a slow site is extremely annoying - not a problem if the site is kept simple
This post was edited by tcl on Jan 22 2012 02:59pm