Today i downloaded and tested the PHPBB 3 Beta 4 .
PhpBB 3.0 codenamed OLYMPUS is the next-generation of phpBB, php based bulletin board software.
PhpBB3 got a whole new admin interface, its a whole new cool looking version with plenty of new features.
New User Features
Sub Forums:
In PhpBB3 there are no categories, everything is forum based. Each forum can have an unlimited number of sub-forums and you can determine whether each may be posted to or not.
Attachments:
Users can attach files and images with the post.
Birthdays:
The PhpBB3 will automatically show the list of users having birthday on the current day.
Post Icons:
Users can select icons for posts. The icons will be displayed in the forums in front of the post title. New post icons can be added through the admin panel.
Font Colors:
PhpBB3 supports variety of font colors. Users can apply color to the text using the color swatch in the sidebar.
Use Profile:
In the profile, PhpBB3 will show the most active forum and most active topic related to a particular user.
User Status:
You can see the status of other users .In the left hand side of each post made by a user, the board will show user’s online/offline status.
Multiple Private Messages:
Users can now send Private Messages to multiple users.
Manage Subscriptions:
Users can manage subscriptions and can delete topics from watchlist.
Bookmark Topics:
Users can bookmark topics for future reference which can be accessed from User Control Panel.
Save Posts as Drafts:
Users can save posts as drafts. The saved posts can be accessed from the User Control Panel.
Manage Attachments:
Users can manage uploaded attachments from the User Control Panel.
Friends:
This new feature ability enable a user to add friends and foes. The status of friends can be seen from the User Control Panel.
Foes:
Foes are users which will be ignored by default. Posts by these users will not be fully visible and personal messages will not be permitted.
New Administration Features
Global Posts:
Global Posts are posts that are visible in all the forums.
Custom Profile Fields:
Administrator can add custom profile fields like textboxes, text area, drop down menus and checkboxes. The custom profile fields can be used to capture additional information and show it with user profile.
Jabber
PhpBB3 can use Jabber for sending board notices via instant messaging.
Load Settings
Administrator can enable and disable certain board functions to reduce the amount of processing required.
Multiple Administrators:
Admin can mark a user as founder. Founders have all admin permissions and can never be banned, deleted or altered by non-founder members.
Administrator Log:
Administrator log lists all the actions carried out by board administrators. From first PHPBB installation to their latest logins.
Moderator Log:
Moderator log lists the actions carried out by board moderators. The topics moved/locked/deleted will be listed in the moderator log.
User Logs:
User log lists all actions carried out by users or on users.
Error Log:
Error log lists the actions carried out by the board itself. These log provide the information to be used for solving specific problems, for example non-delivery of emails. Admin can filter errors by username, date, IP or action.
User Quick Tools:
Admin can easily delete signature, delete all posts, move all posts and delete all attachments of a particular user.
Bots Group:
The new version identify bots and don’t count them as visitors. All session ids are removed for bots enabling search engines to easily index website pages. There is ability to add your own bots.
Group Avatars:
In the new version admin can assign avatar to a group. The avatars will be visible in the group page.
Custom BBcodes & Smilies
Custom bbcodes and smilies can be added easily through admin panel.
Auto-Delete Private Messages:
If a user’s inbox folder is full admin can set the board to automatically delete oldest messages in that case so that messages are not lost.
Limit editing time:
Admin can set time available to edit a new post. After that user cannot edit the post.
Max Characters:
Admin can set maximum characters per post, maximum smileys per post, maximum links per post, Max image width in post, Max image height in post and maximum number of poll options.
Signature Options:
Administrator can allow/disallow use of bbcode, img tag and smileys in signature.
Administrator can limit:
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Maximum signature length.
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Maximum number of links in signature.
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Maximum signature font
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Number of smilies in signature
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Maximum number of links in signature
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Maximum signature image width and height
User Registration Options:
Administrator can set:
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Minimum and maximum number of characters in username.
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Restrictions on type of characters that may be used in usernames
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How complex a password needs to be when set or altered
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user to change their password after a set number of days
Search Flood:
Administrator can Enable/Disable search facilities and can set User search flood interval and guest search flood interval.
Forum Permissions:
Where in PHPBB2 you have to set forum permissions one by one to each forum. PhpBB3 allow the administrator to set forum permissions by selecting multiple forums.
See Inactive Users:
Administrator can see a list users who have registered but whos accounts are inactive. Then these accounts can be deleted or activated.
Ban Multiple Users
Administrator can ban multiple users.
Prune Users:
Administrator can deactivate users from board. This can be done in a variety of ways; by post count, last activity, etc. Each of these criteria can be combined.
Top three things that are not present in the PhpBB3.
May be there are many more new features that i missed out.
I am eagerly waiting for all the bugs to be fixed and for PHPBB crew to release a stable version of PhpBB3. 
Technorati Tags: phpbb, bulletin board, php script, phpbb3, olympus, beta, open source, free script
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1. Google’s list of most popular queries in their search engine published as the annual Zeitgeist received critisicm because it included some fairly unlikely terms. “Bebo” for example, was the number one term on the list.
