opalgeist is considering migrating a community to Discourse and asks three questions regarding desktop clients, AI features, and getting started as an admin.
NateDhaliwal responds that there is no official desktop client, but users can utilize the PWA or unofficial options. Regarding AI features, Nate explains that they cannot be disabled on the free plan, despite appearing pre-installed. For new admins, Nate notes that self-hosting is relatively simple (often a one-line install) and directs the user to the site management and self-hosting documentation sections for further details.
singi2016cn adds that the best learning resources are the official documentation and past forum posts, encouraging the user to ask specific questions if needed.
I’m thinking about moving my community to Discourse and have a few questions that I haven’t been able to easily find answers to, so I’m hoping this community can help me.
Does Discourse have a desktop client (like Discord)? I’ve seen that Discourse Hub is available for mobile.
Is there an easy way to turn off AI features in our community? I’ve seen others say that you can turn off the plugin, but mine is set to being toggled on and says it’s pre-installed and can’t be disabled?
I’m pretty tech-savvy but not to the point of self-hosting and all that stuff. Is there a place you’d recommend new Discourse admins look to get started with the platform?
If you are using the free plan, I don’t think you can disable it.
Self-hosting is pretty easy, actually. It’s mostly just a one-line install if you want the basic installation. Take a look at Documentation > Site Management and Documentation > Self-Hosting . If you have more specific queries, feel free to open a topic about it.
The best learning resource is undoubtedly the official documentation: Latest Documentation Topics - Discourse Meta. Additionally, you can check past related posts or simply post a question directly. Good luck.