Which CMS or other framework should I use to develop a Stack Overflow-like site? [closed]

Question

I want to develop a Q/A site with features substantially similar to Stack Overflow, but targeted to a different niche (electrical/hardware engineering as opposed to software engineering).

The code that runs Stack Overflow is not open-source, and from a previous mention of it on the podcast I believe I can assume it never will be. (Though UserVoice said "Wait 3-6 months and ask again")

I don't want to start from scratch as Jeff et al did, but I do want a Q/A site rather than a discussion site.

What framework or CMS would you start with to create this site if you were tasked with it?

Answer 1

Use Drupal combined with the Community Plugins, specially the Questions and Answers module.

There are several Open Source projects underway with the specific goal of creating Stack Overflow work-alike sites, or at least using SO as inspiration for their own designs:

• CNPROG - the software behind the highly-acclaimed Chinese programming Q&A site of the same name

• OSQA - Based on CNPROG and used by some successful Stack Exchange clones like MetaOptimize

• Askbot - forked from OSQA, but with more recent development and with a PyPI package

• Stacked - a project by long-time Stack Overflow user Thomas Hansen (seems to be dead nowadays)

• Ever wonder what SO would be like if it had been written in Ruby? Check out shapado, a "stackoverflow-like app written in ruby, mongomapper and mongodb".

• A similar project is cahoots, which starts with the SO wiki + Q&A idea, but expands on it with features supporting integrated blogging, article publication, and limited "social networking". This project is fairly new, but quite ambitious in scope...

Answer 2

Well the one that started it all is, of course Slashcode, the open-source software that powers Slashdot.org. There's also Pligg, an open-source digg-clone and a cursory google search will lead to many other similar open-source systems.

Answer 3

I'm having a go with Django, as I think something like SO would be great to have in work:

Answer 4

the Ektron CMS has a strong suite of community networking tools -- it may be a good place to start.

Answer 5

My suggestion for a framework would be Ruby on Rails (but of course with that you would start from scratch). Maybe you want to look into Insoshi.

Answer 6

I don't have an easy answer to this question, but you might consider looking at Kigg:

• http://www.codeplex.com/Kigg
• http://kigg.dotnetslackers.com/
• http://dotnetslackers.com/articles/aspnet/KiggBuildingADiggCloneWithASPNETMVC1.aspx

Kigg is an open-source Digg clone built on ASP.NET MVC. I realize this is different than StackOverflow, but it is still a user generated web site with an extensive comments, karma & membership system.

This might offer a good starting place.

Answer 7

You can always check out Coordino And use it as a base for your project. It is a PHP based implementation of StackOverflow

Answer 8

You could take a look at DotNetNuke.