Index: modules/forum/forum-submitted.tpl.php
===================================================================
RCS file: modules/forum/forum-submitted.tpl.php
diff -N modules/forum/forum-submitted.tpl.php
--- /dev/null	1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
+++ modules/forum/forum-submitted.tpl.php	23 Jul 2007 17:08:07 -0000
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+<?php 
+// $Id$
+/**
+ * @file forum-submitted.tpl.php
+ * Default theme implementation to format a simple string indicated when and
+ * by whom a topic was submitted.
+ * 
+ * Available variables:
+ *
+ * - $author: The author of the post.
+ * - $time: How long ago the post was created.
+ * - $topic: An object with the raw data of the post. Unsafe, be sure
+ *   to clean this data before printing.
+ *
+ * @see template_preprocess_forum_submitted()
+ * @see theme_forum_submitted()
+ */
+?>
+<?php if ($time): ?>
+  <?php print t(
+  '@time ago<br />by !author', array(
+    '@time' => $time, 
+    '!author' => $author,
+    )); ?>
+<?php else: ?>
+  <?php print t('n/a'); ?>
+<?php endif; ?>
Index: modules/forum/forum.module
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvs/drupal/drupal/modules/forum/forum.module,v
retrieving revision 1.409
diff -u -p -r1.409 forum.module
--- modules/forum/forum.module	22 Jul 2007 07:01:07 -0000	1.409
+++ modules/forum/forum.module	23 Jul 2007 17:08:07 -0000
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ function forum_help($path, $arg) {
  */
 function forum_theme() {
   return array(
-    'forum_display' => array(
-      'file' => 'forum-display',
+    'forums' => array(
+      'file' => 'forums',
       'arguments' => array('forums' => NULL, 'topics' => NULL, 'parents' => NULL, 'tid' => NULL, 'sortby' => NULL, 'forum_per_page' => NULL),
     ),
     'forum_list' => array(
@@ -53,8 +53,8 @@ function forum_theme() {
       'file' => 'forum-topic-navigation',
       'arguments' => array('node' => NULL),
     ),
-    'forum_format_topic' => array(
-      'file' => 'forum-format-topic',
+    'forum_submitted' => array(
+      'file' => 'forum-submitted',
       'arguments' => array('topic' => NULL),
     ),
   );
@@ -859,23 +859,23 @@ function forum_page($tid = 0) {
     $topics = forum_get_topics($tid, $sortby, $forum_per_page);
   }
 
-  return theme('forum_display', $forums, $topics, $parents, $tid, $sortby, $forum_per_page);
+  return theme('forums', $forums, $topics, $parents, $tid, $sortby, $forum_per_page);
 }
 
 /**
- * Process variables for forum-display.tpl.php
+ * Process variables for forums.tpl.php
  *
- * The $variables array contains the following arguments:
- * - $forums
+ * The $variables array contains the following arguments: 
+ * - $forums 
  * - $topics
  * - $parents
  * - $tid
  * - $sortby
  * - $forum_per_page
  *
- * @see forum-display.tpl.php
+ * @see forums.tpl.php
  */
-function template_preprocess_forum_display(&$variables) {
+function template_preprocess_forums(&$variables) {
   global $user;
   // forum list, topics list, topic browser and 'add new topic' link
 
@@ -951,12 +951,12 @@ function template_preprocess_forum_displ
     // Provide separate template suggestions based on what's being output. Topic id is also accounted for.
     // Check both variables to be safe.
     if ($variables['forums'] && !$variables['topics']) {
-      $variables['template_files'][] = 'forum-display-container';
-      $variables['template_files'][] = 'forum-display-container-'. $variables['tid'];
+      $variables['template_files'][] = 'forums-containers';
+      $variables['template_files'][] = 'forums-containers-'. $variables['tid'];
     }
     else {
-      $variables['template_files'][] = 'forum-display-topics';
-      $variables['template_files'][] = 'forum-display-topics-'. $variables['tid'];
+      $variables['template_files'][] = 'forums-topics';
+      $variables['template_files'][] = 'forums-topics-'. $variables['tid'];
     }
 
   }
@@ -996,7 +996,7 @@ function template_preprocess_forum_list(
       $variables['forums'][$id]->new_topics = 0;
       $variables['forums'][$id]->old_topics = $forum->num_topics;
     }
-    $variables['forums'][$id]->last_reply = theme('forum_format_topic', $forum->last_post);
+    $variables['forums'][$id]->last_reply = theme('forum_submitted', $forum->last_post);
   }
 }
 
@@ -1041,8 +1041,8 @@ function template_preprocess_forum_topic
           $variables['topics'][$id]->new_text = format_plural($topic->new_replies, '1 new', '@count new');
           $variables['topics'][$id]->new_url = url("node/$topic->nid", array('fragment' => 'new'));
         }
-        $variables['topics'][$id]->created = theme('forum_format_topic', $topic);
-        $variables['topics'][$id]->last_reply = theme('forum_format_topic', isset($topic->last_reply) ? $topic->last_reply : NULL);
+        $variables['topics'][$id]->created = theme('forum_submitted', $topic);
+        $variables['topics'][$id]->last_reply = theme('forum_submitted', $topic->last_reply);
       }
     }
   }
@@ -1120,22 +1120,16 @@ function template_preprocess_forum_topic
 }
 
 /**
- * Process variables to format a topic for display in the forum list and topic list.
+ * Process variables to format submission info for display in the forum list and topic list.
  *
  * $variables will contain: $topic
  *
- * @see forum-format-topic.tpl.php
- * @see theme_forum_format_topic
+ * @see forum-submitted.tpl.php
+ * @see theme_forum_submitted
  */
-function template_preprocess_forum_format_topic(&$variables) {
-  if (empty($variables['topic']) || empty($variables['topic']->timestamp)) {
-    $variables['topic'] = new stdClass();
-    $variables['topic']->timestamp = 0;
-  }
-  else {
-    $variables['time'] = format_interval(time() - $variables['topic']->timestamp);
-    $variables['author'] = theme('username', $variables['topic']);
-  }
+function template_preprocess_forum_submitted(&$variables) {
+  $variables['author'] = isset($variables['topic']->uid) ? theme('username', $variables['topic']) : '';
+  $variables['time'] = isset($variables['topic']->timestamp) ? format_interval(time() - $variables['topic']->timestamp) : '';
 }
 
 function _forum_user_last_visit($nid) {
Index: modules/forum/forums.tpl.php
===================================================================
RCS file: modules/forum/forums.tpl.php
diff -N modules/forum/forums.tpl.php
--- /dev/null	1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
+++ modules/forum/forums.tpl.php	23 Jul 2007 17:08:07 -0000
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+<?php // $Id$ 
+/**
+ * @file forums.tpl.php
+ * Default theme implementation to display a forum, which may contain forum
+ * containers as well as forum topics.
+ *
+ * Variables available:
+ *
+ * - $links: An array of links that allow a user to post new forum topics.
+ *   It may also contain a string telling a user they must log in in order
+ *   to post.
+ * - $forums: The forums to display (as processed by forum-list.tpl.php)
+ * - $topics: The topics to display (as processed by forum-topic-list.tpl.php)
+ *
+ * @see template_preprocess_forums()
+ * @see theme_forums()
+ *
+ */
+?>
+<?php if ($forums_defined): ?>
+<div id="forum">
+  <?php print theme('links', $links); ?>
+  <?php print $forums; ?>
+  <?php print $topics; ?>
+</div>
+<?php endif; ?>