Hey all, I’m Rick — presenting texttotalk.org v0.3.

Some of you, especially from 4chan, might already know about it. If you haven’t heard of it: it’s basically an anonymous imageboard-style community, minus a lot of the usual moderation.

What is texttotalk? A text-only board that combines 4chan-style open/custom boards with Reddit-style community structure and moderation tools.

Why text-only? Simple: no images means no image-based moderation headaches, and it gives the board a distinct identity that’s different from every other imageboard clone out there.

Why Windows 7 theme? Because I think retro UI is fun and nobody else is doing it. It’s a nice break from every board looking like Reddit or Discord.

How it’s built: Pure PHP + MySQL. I built it with a lot of AI assistance (Claude, ChatGPT, DeepSeek, others) — I’m upfront about that. If you’ve got opinions on AI-assisted coding, I’m happy to hear them, but the site works and it’s genuinely mine in terms of design and iteration.

Who’s it for? Anyone who wants a lighter-moderation alternative to the big platforms, wants to run their own board/community, or just likes messing around on something different.

Come check it out, join a board, make your own. Feedback welcome.

I miss the old days when people gathered on small forums to communicate, and there were no algorithms deciding what you get to see. So I thought about making an imageboard like 4chan to bring back some of that nostalgia — but I quickly realized moderation would be hell.

So I asked myself: what do I actually like?

Windows 7. Internet forums. Yapping.

So I made texttotalk.org — a plain-text board where people can express themselves. Since it’s text-only (no image uploads), moderation is a lot easier, which means it can lean heavily into free speech without turning into a nightmare to run.

I shared it on 4chan recently, and a fair bit of questionable content has shown up since. Honestly, I don’t mind — as long as it’s free speech and legal, it’s welcome.

I just joined this forum, so figured I’d show it off. Maybe some of you will like it.

The look: Windows 7 Aero style, with a 4chan-green tint, over a scenic nature background.

Let me know how it looks/sounds — feedback welcome either way.

texttotalk.org