De eerste bètaversie van phpBB 3.1.0 is uitgebracht. Met dit programma is het mogelijk om een webforum te maken. PhpBB wordt onder de gpl-licentie beschikbaar gesteld en maakt gebruik van php en een databaseprogramma om berichten op te slaan. Naast MySQL worden ook PostgreSQL, Oracle, Firebird en SQLite als databasesoftware ondersteund. Naast de volledige installatie zijn er ook diverse upgrade-pakketten te downloaden. Uitgebreide informatie over de veranderingen in versie 3.1.0 is op het phpBB blog te vinden. Dit is een stuk uit de release notes:
phpBB 3.1.0 Beta1 released
We have been highlighting various improvements introduced in phpBB Ascraeus 3.1 on our blog over the past weeks, but I would like to feature a few of the more important ones here.
phpBB Ascraeus introduces extensions as a replacement for phpBB MODs. Extensions modify or supplement phpBB's existing functionality using multiple plugin mechanisms and an events system, without modifying any core code. Extensions will streamline the update process and improve compatibility when multiple packages are used simultaneously.
Our default style, prosilver, has been modernized and updated. Its new responsive behaviour makes it a pleasure to use on smartphones, tablets, and other handheld devices. Subsilver, our alternate style, has been removed from the default package, but will continue to be supported as a standalone package, like any other style in our database. Style authors are encouraged to base new styles on prosilver.
The user experience has likewise been substantially improved. A new notifications system, similar to those found on Facebook or Google, will inform you of new replies to watched topics, posts quoting you, or new moderation activity. The authentication system is now capable of supporting OAuth based login mechanisms, such as Facebook Connect or Google+ Logins.
Behind the scenes, we have restructured large parts of the code. The template engine is now based on twig, and you can use its full functionality in custom styles. We have replaced a number of phpBB subsystems with Symfony Components to focus more on phpBB's functionality and less on maintaining technical subsystems.
