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And there was also IRC chat, which is a protocol, not a software/platform.

On the forums end, there's also things like ProBoards, which works like Discord in sense that they are hosted by a company (and thus pursuant to their terms), in which they act as the community "hub".

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I miss those days when most websites implemented this.

For the old 2000s boards, there is Tapatalk, which was a lifesaver back in 2011-13 when many boards did not have mobile-friendly layouts. Unfortunately, Tapatalk enshittified rapidly by adding insane amounts of ads and other dark patterns to their app, forcing me to uninstall it.

Also they took over InvisionFree/Zetaboards, which also destroyed their customization.

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