How to Install Simple Machines Forum on macOS

In this tutorial, we will walk you through the process of installing Simple Machines Forum (SMF) on macOS.

Step 1: Download SMF

Firstly, you will need to download the latest version of SMF. Visit the following link to download the SMF zip archive:

https://download.simplemachines.org/?smflatest

Step 2: Extract SMF

After the download is complete, go to your Downloads folder and extract the contents of the SMF zip archive. You can do this by double-clicking the file or right-clicking the file and selecting "Extract All".

Step 3: Move SMF to Web Server

Once the files are extracted, move the SMF folder to your web server directory. In this tutorial, we will be using the default Apache web server that comes pre-installed with macOS.

By default, Apache stores web files in /Library/WebServer/Documents/. So, navigate to this directory and move the SMF folder.

cd /Library/WebServer/Documents/
sudo mv ~/Downloads/smf_2-1-2_install /Library/WebServer/Documents/

Step 4: Set Permissions

Before we can install SMF, we need to set the correct permissions on the SMF directory. Run the following command to do so:

sudo chmod -R 755 /Library/WebServer/Documents/smf_2-1-2_install/

Step 5: Install SMF

Now, it's time to install SMF. Visit the following URL to begin the installation process:

http://localhost/smf_2-1-2_install/index.php

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Make sure to set up the database, admin account, and configure your forum settings.

Step 6: Done!

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Simple Machines Forum on macOS. You can now use your web browser to visit the forum and begin creating new topics and posts.

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