Support Forum

Well, the setup I described seems to work.  When I have more time, I can try creating another test site and activating a different set of plugins.  If SPF is storing the settings on activated plugins in tables for each blog, the code can be centralized. 

I think before you get to site-wide options, it's just a matter of changing the install routine so that common resources are under wp-content, and blog-specific stuff is under blogs.dir/#/files/sp-resources.

In multisite, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "network site admins would be able to change the location in the sp admin...."  Network admins can install new plugins.  Site admins can activate and configure them.  There's no configuration at the network level, since configuration is stored site-by-site.  Site admins can't install plugins (unless they have FTP access), so there would be no easy way for a site admin to put PHP files in blogs.dir.  For that reason, I think the centralized location makes the most sense, since it is consistent with multisite right now.

I have a number of working multisite installs, so if you need me to try something, just let me know.  Once I have setup another test blog + forum from centralized plugins and themes, I'll let you know.

@ Mr Papa, "the active plugins and theme are stored in each database on each network site…  and one of my points is that there is NO global option or setup… every option and setting is specific to each site the forum is installed on… "

That's pretty much the way every plugin works on multisite - no global options.  For example, if you install Akismet on a network, you have to configure it on each site or blog.  Even if you network activate it, you still have to configure it site-by-site.  But there is just 1 copy of the Akismet code installed on the network, and only 1 copy is updated. 

The same is true for themes (though there are plugins that change this somewhat).  If I have the Twenty Eleven theme with a certain stylesheet installed on my network, every site on the network with that theme will draw from the same code base and same stylesheet. 

The way SPF is set up at the moment, there would be X copies of a theme for X sites on a network.  While that offers a lot of flexibility, it is a maintenance nightmare. 

Also keep in mind that only network admins can install plugins or themes in multisite, so a site admin won't have the ability to install in blogs.dir even if he wanted to do that (again, ignoring FTP access).

@ Lee H, I'm not sure what you mean by allowing site admins write access.  Unless the site admins have FTP access, they can only do admin tasks on their individual sites, which means they could change the SPF settings only for the sites for which they are admins.  I found a little more time, and if you follow the SVN instructions and load the plugins and themes in a central location, update the locations site-by-site, SPF handles multisite just fine.  I haven't found something that doesn't work yet.