Setting up my own Server

[Aegis]

A utility like Dreamweaver will probably be the easiest way to build pages.  If you are not too worried about the workings of the HTML / CSS code.

Some people use utilities.  Some write their own code.  Some do a combination of both. 

I'd use a utility to get up and running -- the site can always be 'tweaked" later.

[Ivy]

Thankyou Aegis! I'll use dreamweaver then.

[Aegis]

I was told by some on here that Dreamweaver adds extra code to the page, but I wouldn't worry about it at this point, unless or until you decide to concentrate on the coding, itself. 

I'm told that Dreamweaver is one of the best and most complete packages for web page creation.  I think it's a good choice.

[ChrisXPPro]

Agreed re Dreamweaver - in essence.  It will certainly do the job.

My criticism of it is that it does not apply tidy code to my liking often - but then I spend more time in the code window anyways, often ''tidying up" too!

If expense is a problem getting DW - Google "Kompozer" which is free - it's a fairly presentable app for making pages but not true WYSIWYG like DW.

One other point - if you get to making up your pages make sure you test them in several browsers as cross-browser compatibility is sometimes a bear.  www.browsershots.org can be useful for that.

[kpac]

If expense is a problem getting DW - Google "Kompozer" which is free - it's a fairly presentable app for making pages but not true WYSIWYG like DW.

I think there is a topic about this somewhere...

Notepad ++ is another good alternative...

[Aegis]

Notepad ++ is another good alternative...

IF you want to write code!

Ivy has not stated she wants to write code, at least at this time.  She wants to create pages.

[Ivy]

I think there is a topic about this somewhere...

I had ordered dreamweaver, they said they'd email me back, but the email hasn't come yet and I'm not a very patient person.

[street1 (RIP)]

I think there is a topic about this somewhere...

I had ordered dreamweaver, they said they'd email me back, but the email hasn't come yet and I'm not a very patient person.

So,blow them up......

[tech.kyle]

Dreamweaver can be nice if you're familiar with it. I hope you're getting the demo. My grandfather thought Dreamweaver would help him make a webpage. I explained that Dreamweaver would only help you code the webpage and that it wouldn't do the code for you. (He was trying to set up an online store)

Something to consider.

As for a host, an old friend of mine really seemed to like Dreamhost.

Edit: Unless I'm wrong. Are you talking about templates? If you want something with templates and whatnot that will help design a sort of "flow" to your webpage, I would probably check out Microsoft's offerings. The last version of Dreamweaver I've used was back when Macromedia owned it. Perhaps it's changed since Adobe took over?

So,blow them up......

*shrug* That's what I'd do.

[Zylstra]

Dreamweaver is a wonderful program, but, expensive.
And, for a site mainly based around a forum, it might not be worth it.

Check out Kompozer, the "updated" version of NVU with quite a few bug fixes from the original program called NVU.
http://www.kompozer.net/download.php

Its a good idea to have a basic understanding of HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language, which, by the way, is not programming, or scripting.)
ComputerHope has a wonderful page dedicated to HTML:
http://www.computerhope.com/learnhtm.htm
I use templates a lot from a website from my Webmasters Best Friends link, OSWD.org (OpenSourceWebDesign)

As for paid hosts:
GoDaddy.com is a pretty good service, but, I've always liked supporting the smaller companies, if this isnt a concern of yours, then go with GoDaddy, it will have less downtime than any other cheaper host simply because of its popularity.

www.hostgator.com is another great service, I use it for two websites I manage. Its a wonderful service, with prompt customer support.
I highly recommend cPanel for beginners.

[Ivy]

If you go with Linux you can use SMF 1.1.6 to set up a forum

I'm using windows, what is the recommendation for that?

Check out Kompozer, the "updated" version of NVU with quite a few bug fixes from the original program called NVU.
http://www.kompozer.net/download.php

If expense is a problem getting DW - Google "Kompozer" which is free - it's a fairly presentable app for making pages but not true WYSIWYG like DW.

Sorry I think I should have mentioned This here aswell...Thankyou for http://www.browsershots.org/ link! I needed this.

[ChrisXPPro]

Keep going Ivy - and let us know how you get on. 

[Ivy]

Exactly this moment....I'm downloading SMF 1.1.6

[Ivy]

.....It didn't work..for some reason my computer won't extract all files! I don't know why this is happening but my computer is not allowing the complete extraction of files!

I'm so tired of downloading so many software and then they won't run!

[ChrisXPPro]

That sucks big time and have to wonder why you have these problems.

Any specific error messages at all?