ok so you know how it comes with portal.php how would i make that home page ex
mysite.com/forum/portal.php instead of mysite.com/forum/index.php
ok that will do it will make it better for new users
.htaccess :
DirectoryIndex portal.php index.php
That would work if you want people to see it every time they visited the forum.
Post #2 should work just fine.
I prefer not having the portal as homepage, it's always caused a problem for me :P
I don't like portals for homepages, personally, If i were you, I would make a homepage from a php, or html page.
Or how about just keeping it as is and using the forums?
Remember that it's your own choice ;)