Are there any good computer programs you can buy or get for free to run sites similar to Facebook or piratebay?

[Jan S]

Q1) Is there a developed program you can buy that make it possible to run a site similar to Facebook, LinkedIn etc. ?

Q2) Does anyone know a good file-sharing program you can use if you want to run a site similar to torrentreactor, thepiratebay?

Q3) IHow much would it cost to buy these products?

[jamesmicoff]

1 there is a free package on microsoft's web site for facebook delvelopers
#2 Just pick one
#3 Both are free

[Aerivium]

You need to install Apache, php and mysql. A torrent tracker doesnt actually involve a file sharing program on the server side, it is just a server script which allows the file sharing clients to find each other.It shouldnt be too hard to find some free php script for a torrent tracker (I doubt you could find a paid one seen as torrent trackers are often linked to illegal activity anyway so theres not a big market for them). It would be a bit more difficult to find a good free script for a social networking site, you might have to pay for one if you dont want to do the work yourself.

Although neither of these will be very easy to customise without php knowledge. Most people making one of these sites will develop it themselves, or get someone else on board who has the skills to develop it.

[feynman_rocks]

These are all unrelated questions, but I'll try:

1. Yes. Many are free. What you're looking for is a CMS (content management system). These come in all different flavors, really popular ones these days seem to be Drupal or Joomla. The secret sauce in most of these is that they integrate databases into a website front end so that you can store and manage a dynamic website. It really depends on your background how easy these are to get going.

2. BitTorrent. All the ones you mention use the bittorrent protocol. If you understand how bittorrent works, then you'll kinda see how this hooks into point #1.

3. Like I said, as your skill level goes up, the cost goes down (because you can do it yourself with free/open source tools). With, I would say, a few months work, all this can be done for free. Hosting is a different matter.