I think the space is growing, especially in the rails world where it's been stagnating for so long. There's discourse, forem and I've even just released my own

I think the space is growing, especially in the rails world where it's been stagnating for so long. There's discourse, forem and I've even just released my own at http://www.thredded.com http://www.thredded.com (source at http://github.com/jayroh/thredded http://github.com/jayroh/thredded) It's definitely more along the same lines visually as the "traditional" forum but I'm hoping that the innovation in the future pops up in the small interactions. Replying, quoting, splitting threads, moderation, interaction via email, etc Right now the basics are in place that I hope to build the really good flourishes around. If anyone is intrigued feel free to ask me anything about it or find me on twitter - @thredded or @jayroh