Exactly this. I'm currently planning to move a small community off a SimpleMachines self hosted forum where I upload files every day. I was looking at GitLab as

Exactly this. I'm currently planning to move a small community off a SimpleMachines self hosted forum where I upload files every day. I was looking at GitLab as an option, because I can automate daily file delivery by cron pushing to the private repository. I was trying to decide if the Issues could somehow be used in place of a forum. After deciding they couldn't, my next thought was Discourse. However, if GitLab had this integrated discussion board it looks like it could be the right solution.