Hi Chris
This is a bit off the direction you are thinking about I expect. It’s a paid solution. But I think you might be interested to know.
A thing like this
https://excelfox.com/forum/forum.php, has the initial software cost of about 250 US dollars
To have it as it is on a shared hosting service ( don’t ask me what that
exactly means, you most likely know a lot better than me anyway ) , cost 300-350 US dollars a year.
What it means to a layman is that it is there and works. If it ever vanishes or breaks you shout help and someone hopefully fixes it for you. If you are unlucky you might need to help a bit to fix it, depending on what caused the problem.
You then have it , run it, change how it looks, add sub forums, etc.. etc… all done at a fairly high up user interface type level
Most of it you do starting at something like this:
Then to do anything you go a navigating through, stepping through the usual explorer menu type idea, like we do most everything since windows came along, and things are mostly so intuitive that even a computer ignoramus like me can do it. And in the case of that software there are
? things to click on near almost everything to get more info. And there is a help forum where you can get further help specifically for that forum software
( Its not the solution I prefer, BTW, I would like a Server in my bedroom with it on it and do it all and know everything about it. But I doubt I would ever know what to do with it, and the internet connection I have up here in this forgotten corner of Bavaria is so intermittent and unreliable that perhaps that idea might be a non starter to begin with?… I don’t know. ( That is the main problem. The ignorance, Lol :) :( :) ) )
Alan
Sure you can give me a DVM instead, when you take the AVOmeter out of my cold dead hands,