discourse/README.md

<a href="http://www.discourse.org/">![Logo](images/discourse.png)</a>

Discourse is the 100% open source, next-generation discussion platform built for the next decade of the Internet.

Whenever you need ...

- a mailing list
- a forum to discuss something
- a chat room where you can type paragraphs

... consider Discourse.

To learn more about the philosophy and goals of the project, [visit **discourse.org**](http://www.discourse.org).

## Screenshots

[![](https://raw2.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/boing-boing-latest-small2.png)](http://bbs.boingboing.net)
[![](https://raw2.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/how-to-geek-profile-small2.png?breakcache=1)](http://discuss.howtogeek.com)
[![](https://raw2.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/new-relic-categories-small2.png)](http://discuss.newrelic.com)
[![](https://raw2.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/turtle-rock-topic-small2.jpg)](https://talk.turtlerockstudios.com/)
[![](https://raw.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/nexus-7-mobile-discourse-small3.png)](http://discuss.atom.io)
[![](https://raw.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/iphone-5s-mobile-discourse-small4.png)](http://discourse.soylent.me)


## Getting Started

1. If you're **brand new to Ruby and Rails**, please see [**Discourse as Your First Rails App**](http://blog.discourse.org/2013/04/discourse-as-your-first-rails-app/) or our [**Discourse Vagrant Developer Guide**](docs/VAGRANT.md), which includes instructions to get up and running in a development environment using a virtual machine. 

2. If you're familiar with how Rails works and are comfortable setting up your own environment, use our [**Discourse Advanced Developer Guide**](docs/DEVELOPER-ADVANCED.md). 

Before you get started, ensure you have the following minimum versions: [Ruby 1.9.3+](http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/downloads/), [PostgreSQL 9.1+](http://www.postgresql.org/download/), [Redis 2.6+](http://redis.io/download). If you're having trouble, please see our [**TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE**](docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md) first!

## Setting up a Discourse Forum

If you want to set up a Discourse forum for production use, see our [**Discourse Install Guide**](docs/INSTALL.md).

If you're looking for business class hosting, see [discourse.org/buy](http://www.discourse.org/buy/).

## Requirements

Discourse is built for the *next* 10 years of the Internet, so our requirements are high:

| Browsers | Tablets |  Smartphones |
| -------- | ------- | ----------- |
| Safari 5+| iPad 2+ |  iOS 6+ | 
| Google Chrome 23+ |  Android 4.1+ | Android 4.1+ |
| Internet Explorer 10+ | Windows 8 | Windows Phone 8 |
| Firefox 16+ | |

Internet Explorer 9.0 is technically supported, but it is our absolute minimum spec browser and may not be fully functional.

## Built With

- [Ruby on Rails](https://github.com/rails/rails) &mdash; Our back end API is a Rails app. It responds to requests RESTfully and responds in JSON.
- [Ember.js](https://github.com/emberjs/ember.js) &mdash; Our front end is an Ember.js app that communicates with the Rails API.
- [PostgreSQL](http://www.postgresql.org/) &mdash; Our main data store is in Postgres.
- [Redis](http://redis.io/) &mdash; We use Redis for our job queue, rate limiting, as a cache and for transient data.

Plus *lots* of Ruby Gems, a complete list of which is at [/master/Gemfile](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/master/Gemfile).

## Contributing

[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/discourse/discourse.png)](https://travis-ci.org/discourse/discourse)
[![Code Climate](https://codeclimate.com/github/discourse/discourse.png)](https://codeclimate.com/github/discourse/discourse)

Discourse is **100% free** and **open-source**. We encourage and support an active, healthy community that
accepts contributions from the public. We'd like you to be a part of that community.

Before contributing to Discourse:

1. Please read the complete mission statements on [**discourse.org**](http://www.discourse.org). Yes we actually believe this stuff; you should too.
2. Read and sign the [**Electronic Discourse Forums Contribution License Agreement**](http://discourse.org/cla).
3. Dig into [**CONTRIBUTING.MD**](CONTRIBUTING.md), which covers submitting bugs, requesting new features, preparing your code for a pull request, etc.
4. Not sure what to work on? [**We've got some ideas.**](http://meta.discourse.org/t/so-you-want-to-help-out-with-discourse/3823)

We look forward to seeing your pull requests!

## The Discourse Team

The original Discourse code contributors can be found in [**AUTHORS.MD**](docs/AUTHORS.md). For a complete list of the many individuals that contributed to the design and implementation of Discourse, please refer to [the official Discourse blog](http://blog.discourse.org/2013/02/the-discourse-team/) and [GitHub's list of contributors](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/contributors).


## Copyright / License

Copyright 2014 Civilized Discourse Construction Kit, Inc.

Licensed under the GNU General Public License Version 2.0 (or later);
you may not use this work except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License in the LICENSE file, or at:

   http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.txt

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.

Discourse logo and “Discourse Forum” ®, Civilized Discourse Construction Kit, Inc.

## Dedication

Discourse is built with [love, Internet style.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1TZaElTAs)
Use relative URLs, not absolute. This helps if somebody would fork a GitHub repository, as the links now lead to files in fork, not files in original repository. Also, it makes more sense when reading Markdown files locally. 2013-05-24 22:32:45 +08:00			`<a href="http://www.discourse.org/">![Logo](images/discourse.png)</a>`
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
copyedits on readme 2013-02-21 05:07:38 +08:00			`Discourse is the 100% open source, next-generation discussion platform built for the next decade of the Internet.`
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
			`Whenever you need ...`

copyedits on readme 2013-02-21 05:07:38 +08:00			`- a mailing list`
			`- a forum to discuss something`
			`- a chat room where you can type paragraphs`
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
			`... consider Discourse.`

add mobile screenshots to readme 2014-03-01 16:40:35 +08:00			`To learn more about the philosophy and goals of the project, [visit discourse.org](http://www.discourse.org).`
add link to main website at top 2013-08-10 07:35:25 +08:00
Fix typo of 'b' at the end of a heading in README 2014-03-02 16:30:11 +08:00			`## Screenshots`
add screenshots of live sites 2014-02-22 16:56:30 +08:00
let's try this one more time 2014-02-22 17:51:50 +08:00			`[![](https://raw2.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/boing-boing-latest-small2.png)](http://bbs.boingboing.net)`
update screenshot 2014-03-07 15:23:00 +08:00			`[![](https://raw2.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/how-to-geek-profile-small2.png?breakcache=1)](http://discuss.howtogeek.com)`
let's try this one more time 2014-02-22 17:51:50 +08:00			`[![](https://raw2.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/new-relic-categories-small2.png)](http://discuss.newrelic.com)`
			`[![](https://raw2.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/turtle-rock-topic-small2.jpg)](https://talk.turtlerockstudios.com/)`
add mobile screenshots to readme 2014-03-01 16:40:35 +08:00			`[![](https://raw.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/nexus-7-mobile-discourse-small3.png)](http://discuss.atom.io)`
			`[![](https://raw.github.com/discourse/discourse-docimages/master/readme/iphone-5s-mobile-discourse-small4.png)](http://discourse.soylent.me)`

add screenshots of live sites 2014-02-22 16:56:30 +08:00
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00			`## Getting Started`

readme cleanup 2014-02-25 17:27:11 +08:00			`1. If you're brand new to Ruby and Rails, please see [Discourse as Your First Rails App](http://blog.discourse.org/2013/04/discourse-as-your-first-rails-app/) or our [Discourse Vagrant Developer Guide](docs/VAGRANT.md), which includes instructions to get up and running in a development environment using a virtual machine.`
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
minor updates 2014-03-02 14:56:15 +08:00			`2. If you're familiar with how Rails works and are comfortable setting up your own environment, use our [Discourse Advanced Developer Guide](docs/DEVELOPER-ADVANCED.md).`
Update README.md - bullet pointed the getting started guide - added a reference to the Admin "How To" wiki page - clarified the developer guide as adequate for beginners 2013-03-18 01:59:24 +08:00
readme cleanup 2014-02-25 17:27:11 +08:00			`Before you get started, ensure you have the following minimum versions: [Ruby 1.9.3+](http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/downloads/), [PostgreSQL 9.1+](http://www.postgresql.org/download/), [Redis 2.6+](http://redis.io/download). If you're having trouble, please see our [TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE](docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md) first!`
Added requirements on postgres and redis-server 2013-02-08 15:38:23 +08:00
clarify on install 2013-08-02 06:28:26 +08:00			`## Setting up a Discourse Forum`
Update README.md to link to Ubuntu install guide 2013-07-01 20:00:55 +08:00
minor updates 2014-03-02 14:56:15 +08:00			`If you want to set up a Discourse forum for production use, see our [Discourse Install Guide](docs/INSTALL.md).`

			`If you're looking for business class hosting, see [discourse.org/buy](http://www.discourse.org/buy/).`
Update README.md to link to Ubuntu install guide 2013-07-01 20:00:55 +08:00
add mobile screenshots to readme 2014-03-01 16:40:35 +08:00			`## Requirements`
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
clean up readme a bit 2013-04-11 12:25:34 +08:00			`Discourse is built for the next 10 years of the Internet, so our requirements are high:`
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
Update README.md Correct speling error. 2014-03-02 20:43:55 +08:00			`\| Browsers \| Tablets \| Smartphones \|`
move requirements into a table for EZ readin' 2014-03-02 15:03:08 +08:00			`\| -------- \| ------- \| ----------- \|`
			`\| Safari 5+\| iPad 2+ \| iOS 6+ \|`
			`\| Google Chrome 23+ \| Android 4.1+ \| Android 4.1+ \|`
			`\| Internet Explorer 10+ \| Windows 8 \| Windows Phone 8 \|`
			`\| Firefox 16+ \| \|`

			`Internet Explorer 9.0 is technically supported, but it is our absolute minimum spec browser and may not be fully functional.`
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
rename expertise to "built with" and move it up 2013-04-11 12:47:45 +08:00			`## Built With`

some — lovin' 2014-03-02 15:05:15 +08:00			`- [Ruby on Rails](https://github.com/rails/rails) — Our back end API is a Rails app. It responds to requests RESTfully and responds in JSON.`
			`- [Ember.js](https://github.com/emberjs/ember.js) — Our front end is an Ember.js app that communicates with the Rails API.`
			`- [PostgreSQL](http://www.postgresql.org/) — Our main data store is in Postgres.`
			`- [Redis](http://redis.io/) — We use Redis for our job queue, rate limiting, as a cache and for transient data.`
rename expertise to "built with" and move it up 2013-04-11 12:47:45 +08:00
link to gemfile, software.md is no good 2014-01-15 09:34:13 +08:00			`Plus lots of Ruby Gems, a complete list of which is at [/master/Gemfile](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/master/Gemfile).`
rename expertise to "built with" and move it up 2013-04-11 12:47:45 +08:00
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00			`## Contributing`

Added travis-ci build status image Now that discourse is using travis-ci, why not show the build status right in the README? Note: not sure where to place it... Documentation is over here: http://about.travis-ci.org/docs/user/status-images/ 2013-02-08 05:46:06 +08:00			`[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/discourse/discourse.png)](https://travis-ci.org/discourse/discourse)`
Added code climate status image 2013-02-11 18:48:04 +08:00			`[![Code Climate](https://codeclimate.com/github/discourse/discourse.png)](https://codeclimate.com/github/discourse/discourse)`
Added travis-ci build status image Now that discourse is using travis-ci, why not show the build status right in the README? Note: not sure where to place it... Documentation is over here: http://about.travis-ci.org/docs/user/status-images/ 2013-02-08 05:46:06 +08:00
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00			`Discourse is 100% free and open-source. We encourage and support an active, healthy community that`
clean up readme a bit 2013-04-11 12:25:34 +08:00			`accepts contributions from the public. We'd like you to be a part of that community.`
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
omit needless words, again 2014-03-02 06:56:09 +08:00			`Before contributing to Discourse:`
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
minor updates 2014-03-02 14:56:15 +08:00			`1. Please read the complete mission statements on [discourse.org](http://www.discourse.org). Yes we actually believe this stuff; you should too.`
			`2. Read and sign the [Electronic Discourse Forums Contribution License Agreement](http://discourse.org/cla).`
			`3. Dig into [CONTRIBUTING.MD](CONTRIBUTING.md), which covers submitting bugs, requesting new features, preparing your code for a pull request, etc.`
update screenshot 2014-03-07 15:23:00 +08:00			`4. Not sure what to work on? [We've got some ideas.](http://meta.discourse.org/t/so-you-want-to-help-out-with-discourse/3823)`
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
add mobile screenshots to readme 2014-03-01 16:40:35 +08:00			`We look forward to seeing your pull requests!`
move troubleshooting after contributing 2013-03-01 02:58:45 +08:00
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00			`## The Discourse Team`

Use relative URLs, not absolute. This helps if somebody would fork a GitHub repository, as the links now lead to files in fork, not files in original repository. Also, it makes more sense when reading Markdown files locally. 2013-05-24 22:32:45 +08:00			`The original Discourse code contributors can be found in [AUTHORS.MD](docs/AUTHORS.md). For a complete list of the many individuals that contributed to the design and implementation of Discourse, please refer to [the official Discourse blog](http://blog.discourse.org/2013/02/the-discourse-team/) and [GitHub's list of contributors](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/contributors).`
add proper deep links to team section 2013-04-11 12:45:31 +08:00
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
			`## Copyright / License`

update copy a bit 2014-01-15 09:24:39 +08:00			`Copyright 2014 Civilized Discourse Construction Kit, Inc.`
Initial release of Discourse 2013-02-06 03:16:51 +08:00
			`Licensed under the GNU General Public License Version 2.0 (or later);`
			`you may not use this work except in compliance with the License.`
			`You may obtain a copy of the License in the LICENSE file, or at:`

			`http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.txt`

			`Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software`
			`distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,`
			`WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.`
			`See the License for the specific language governing permissions and`
			`limitations under the License.`
update readme and authors 2013-02-27 17:14:44 +08:00
			`Discourse logo and “Discourse Forum” ®, Civilized Discourse Construction Kit, Inc.`

			`## Dedication`

add troubleshooting guide link 2013-03-01 02:55:26 +08:00			`Discourse is built with [love, Internet style.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1TZaElTAs)`