FAQ/Knowledge Base applications

[David]

I have been looking for a good FAQ/Knowledge Base application that I can run on the CADTutor site. The forum is great but there comes a point when the same questions get asked over again. What I need is something part way between a forum posting and a full-blown tutorial in a searchable and cross-referenced database.

There are loads of PHP/MySQL scripts of this type at Hot Scripts (http://www.hotscripts.com/PHP/Scripts_and_Programs/FAQ_and_Knowledgebase/index.html) and I would much prefer to find an open source solution. After a good deal of research, I've drawn a blank on the open source front but I have found 2 excellent commercial solutions. I liked FAQ Manager Pro (http://www.faq-manager-pro.com/) a lot and was just getting my credit card out when I came across KnowledgeBuilder (http://www.activecampaign.com/kb/). It's relatively expensive at $119 but it works like a dream and looks great. Do you think it's worth the cash (bearing in mind that AdSense will pay for it) or should I spend lots of time and effort trying to knock an open source solution into shape? AND, would this mean me "selling out"? :(

[Tom]

How many hours work would it save you? If you value your time at £31.07/hour then 2 hours work are worth $119 at today's exchange rate. Also: (1) it is difficult to extend one's 'day' by 2 hours (2) passing money to small specialists contributes to the web economy - as when you do specialized CAD work for landscape firms.

[David]

Thanks Tom, I had come to the same conclusion. My concience is clear. :)