It's not an exception seeing websites made with Joomla connected to a forum based on a forum-specific application: for example, the Joomla.org forums use PhpBB3 and Joomla.it uses SMF.

Why not use a Joomla extension like Fireboard? Because these products are focused, wide-adopted and they work out of the box, flamlessly.

The use of an external software creates a little problem: how can we avoid the double login? If we put on a website two different systems like Joomla and SMF, each product has its login form and they cannot co-operate to provide a nice user experience.

There's a nice solution: we can use a Joomla extension called JFusion.

This extension creates a bridge between common Open Source PHP products, including

• Joomla
• SMF
• PhpBB
• vBullettin
• MyBB

It's even possibile to bridge two Joomla installations, so that you won't stress users using login twice.

JFusion is in its early stages but it already works really well, thought the development team suggests not using it on production websites.