Hey Filbert!

[Dillinger4]

Hey Filbert maybe you can answer this for me. The bar is calling me so ill have to check back later. If i want to run say a site like this or a gamesite with a chat room for example. Do i have to purchase a server or can i just run from my local machine using personal web server or whatever? Thanks. By the way i was only joking about our little contest.

[filburt1]

If it's just a Java applet then you can run it on any web server, but if it has server-side stuff like server-side Javascript, ASP, JSP, PHP, etc. then you need your own server.

[filburt1]

Now answer my question!

[Dillinger4]

Your on your own bro.

[Cudabean]

When you build a site like this, you need three things:

The ability to create server-side dynamic web pages--JSP, ASP, PHP and Perl CGI are the most popular methods of doing this.

I've used all of the above mentioned dynamic html generators. Today I believe JSP to be the way to go. Especially since it's Java-based. It also is cheap and scalable. I place ASP last because although it is scalable, you'll spend many extra thousands scaling it because of all the expensive software you'll wind up buying, only to end up with a security nightmare.

A database (most likely SQL). No, a database is not strictly required, but you can't get too serious without one. A database makes storing messages, usernames & passwords, and other essential items easy and practical. A good free one we are using is InterBase by Borland. (OTOH Mr. Bill will gladly relieve you of your $5000) (Mr. Larry Ellison over at Oracle will gladly accept even more). MySQL is often recommended, although it's fast its architecture is flawed and is subject to self destruction.

A web server. Personal Web Server would certainly be sufficient if you want to use ASP, but you are subject to frequent security attacks like the code red worm. Apache is definitely more secure, alas because it is so common, it may fall prey to security attacks soon as well. Using Apache, you have choices of PHP, JSP (with Tomcat) and Perl CGI.

As far as web servers go, I believe less is more. I downloaded a lightweight web server last week and installed it in ten minutes. Beautiful! It's called TinyWeb and for dynamic server-side web pages, you can use Perl CGI. You should be able to run PHP with it as well.

Remember: If you run a web server from your local machine, you'll have to be connected to the net all the time in order for your website to be accessible. Servers exist solely so that you can have this computer running all the time that nobody uses (except for your web traffic). Users, you see, complicate the task of serving up web pages, especially when they do unpredictable things like play games and cause blue-screens of death to occur.

cudabean

[Dillinger4]

Hey Cudabean thanks for giving me a look at the bigger picture.
I read your post and it give me some ideas that i could go with.
I get so much into the coding that i neglect to see the big picture. I have a coulpe of more questions but ill have to save them for tommorow. It's getting to close to party time and i have nothing to wear tonight.

[goudabuddha]

Nothing to wear? at most of my parties that's not a problem

[Dillinger4]

That would have been a better decision, since i ended up comming home and puking on myself.