Best Forums

We are nearing the end of 2006 years since anno Domini. For the last 3yrs I've spent a lot of my time in forums which has now become a very good replacement for the-mostly-meaningless chatrooms. Good (and most) forums are mainly focused on a particular subject which streamlines the number of users posting content, which is the reason why only relevant topics are posted. And we are also glad to have volunteer moderators who filter out spam posts and such users. But now are we totally making way for blogs ? Blogs have been one of the latest buzz around lately but its definitely not going to wipe out forums. We're talking about Orangles and Apples - they'll always co-exist.

Microsoft has listed the winners of the top bloggers for the year 2006. Hmm...somehow I doubt many would agree to the judges' decision.

Today, Im listing the best forums IMHO on various topics esp technology related ones. I surely havent gone through the entire list in the world, but if its not in the top ten in Google and yet good....well I don't have that much time. I am sure there must be other good forums out there which I have missed, but these are the one I picked out from the ones I didn't miss.

Category	Forum	Comments
C/C++	CodeGuru	Mainly VC++ users
Java	Sun	Officicial Sun Developer Forum
	JavaRanch
	J2ME
PHP	DevNetwork
	PHPBuilder	Has Good Articles
Visual Basic	vbCity	VB Classic and .NET
.NET	DotNET	.NET in general
	Xtreme.NET
ASP .NET	asp.net
Perl	PerlGuru
Python	Python Forum
Symbian	NewLC	Symbian C++ and SDK
Nokia Development	Nokia	Official Nokia Developer Forum
Sony Ericsson Development	Sony Ericsson	Official Sony Ericsson Development Forum
PDA	PDA Street
General Mobile Technology	MobileTechReview
India Broadband	India Broadband
Development in General	Tek-Tips
	DevX
	DevShed
WebSite	SitePoint	WebSite stuff in general - Web Development, Designing etc.
	WebMaster	Webmaster has more quality threads
SEO	DigitalPoint
	SEOChat
Computer Graphics	CGTalk	I just love the model images
Maya	SimplyMaya
Photoshop	PhotoshopForum
Photography	ThePhoto
Camera	PhotographyReview
Digital Video	Digital Digest
Art	deviantArt
Flash ActionScript	ActionScript.org
Microsoft Technologies	MSDN	Official Microsoft Forum
Apple Mac	MacRumors
Databases	dBForums
	MySQL	Official MySQL Forums
Configuration Management	CMCrossRoads
XML	TopXML
MS Excel	Excelforum
Hardware	DevHardware
	HardwareCentral
Web Hosting	WebHostingTalk
Linux	LinuxQuestions
	Ubuntu	Not considered official, but it is the largest
Windows	WindowsBBS
Mozilla	MozillaZine
Paypal Development	PayPalDev	Does not belong to PayPal/eBay
Computer	ComputerForum	Computers for the layman
Computer Tech Support	TechGuy
	HP Tech	Official site, but not official support
iPOD	iLounge
Money	MoneyForum	Dead
	Business Advice
Piano	PianoWorld
English	EnglishForum
Travel	AardvarkTravel
DMOZ	Resource Zone	The official forum is for editors only
Skyscrapers	SkyscraperCity
Domains	NamePros	General Domains
	INForum	Indian Specific Domains

If you are interested in searching for more forums, first check out Big Boards before googling.

I'll be adding a menu in the menu bar soon, having a list of all forums in my bookmarks. Just need to find a plugin that'll auto-update.

Updated on 27th July 2010