Help: Setting up a website

[Crash_test_dummy]

Hi guys...

i was wondering how to go about setting up a website. i dont want to sell stuff, just want to establish a platform for networking and interaction among a particular group of experienced industry professionals. (no competition whatsoever to apna great PG ! )

i want to start small and see how it goes...and if the traffic picks up, maybe switch to full fledged commercial activity (subscriptions, advertising, etc) and upgrade servers etc.

i do have some ideas in mind, but i dont know how to go about the technical implementaion. Can the IT stalwarts of PG give me some guidelines on how to go about acquiring a domain, designing the website, getting things up and running, technical issues, kharcha-paani etc? If it seems financially andd practically feasible, then i might go ahead with it. This might also help inspire some wannabe dot-com billionaires and Allwyns-in-the-making at PG!!

Thanks!
(i repeat: it`s nothing like PG and/or comepting with PG! )

[ameya.bhagwat]

Hi Buddy,

This is the reply from my collegue....(his mail id is given below...for any queries u can contact him!)

Not a big deal. What you need is java development environment. I would suggest you download Eclipse (which is free) and have some plug-ins for J2EE used to develop web sites.

I think you would also be requiring a database server. easiest yet powerful would be SQL server. Get enterprise edition.

So , In the end, get JSP/Servlet container which could be either tomcat or jboss. Deploy your jars and that's it.

this is the cheapest option which is build everything yourself. For building with 0% cost, you get all softwares which are open source.
Eclipse - Free
Jsp/Servlet/JBoss - Free
MySQL - Free.
You can even choose PHP instead of JSP. Because it is open source and does not require any $. PHP & MySQL is the best combination in the industry at the moment.

regards,

Dilip Agheda
Axalto, Mumbai,
dagheda@axalto.com

[pagalguy]

Technically for running a forum, you need a web host, who will provide you the webspace, a domain registrar - who will register the domain for you and then the forum software. You can start off with phpbb.com , it has the free forum software and PG run on phpBB for close to a year and a half before we shifted to a new one ..

So get it started and then thou shalt enjoy administrating it

[Crash_test_dummy]

Originally Posted by pagalguy

Technically for running a forum, you need a web host, who will provide you the webspace, a domain registrar - who will register the domain for you and then the forum software. You can start off with phpbb.com , it has the free forum software and PG run on phpBB for close to a year and a half before we shifted to a new one ..

So get it started and then thou shalt enjoy administrating it

wow Allwyn, i was a lil apprehensive when i posted that thread about how it will be received by the mods (and hence the emphasis on non-competitiveness with PG!) but it was very heartening to see a helpful response from "THE BOSS" himself! thanks man, i`ll go about looking into what you`ve told me and get back to you in case i have doubts...hope u dont mind a pm or two!!

Thanks ameya, for the technical details...i`ll mail your friend after i decide whether to go ahead with it.

Ps: i`ve started a coupla threads back-to-back on different issues within the last hour (there`s this thread, and then there`s a thread on CFA). i`m basically exploring a lot of options before i decide on one.

[jas_maverick]

well much of it depends upon how much techie knwlg do u hav already. so if u r into Java / C / Vb, u can respectivly choose the platform. But in case u are looking at the exact forum, then i second PG. U need to knw java to implement the jar based website, w/o which - watt lag jayegi
PHP is easy in case u hav done basics of programming. the MySQL will be used as database for it.
First u need to figure out the domain name u want which is available and then see where do u want the website to be, i mean the server or webspace provider. They will register ur website for u. guess all that will cost u abt 5K for an yr, base, rest ur choice of additions. and yes, u gotta choose btw Linux or Win server as they give u different utilities. Ur space provider will tell u more abt it if u ask him.

[naveeng]

These days starting a forum (platform-- as you put it) seems to be the most in thing. And why not...plethora of Open source softwares available around, and an ever increasing net-savvy junta, having the leisure of broadband with ever decreasing prices at their disposal, speaking out was never such fun... In fact forum'mig and blogging have become THE most time consuming activities worldwide (quite close to email n chatting).

BTW, to start off one of those fancy looking bulletin boards of your own, it is not essential that you have codes for your meals, but it pays to #include<some_programming_concepts.h> . For, you might strike a great deal with your webhost, book the domain etc., even have your site up and running initially, but the catchword is *MAINTAINANCE*. And my friend, if you leave yourself on the mercy of someone else (as long as it is no professional) for your programming needs, you might not succeed. Having said that, it is not that tough a nut to crack if you do the basics right.

Coming to the point, there are two market leading softwares for forums - vBulletin (the one PG runs on) and phpBB, the prices for which are $160 (if i remember correct) and $0 (yes...free) respectively.
So the obvious choice would be phpBB for junta like me, but you need to be very careful while playing with it, coz there are a lot of security holes with phpBB , which can obviously be plugged by intelligent use of the mods available.

Having being there, done that, i must say its great fun as well as easy administering a forum, provided certain conditions are met.

Gotta take a break now.. will b back tomorrow with some more suggestions, useful links and resources on the subject (if required i.e)

[Crash_test_dummy]

Originally Posted by naveeng

These days starting a forum (platform-- as you put it) seems to be the most in thing. And why not...plethora of Open source softwares available around, and an ever increasing net-savvy junta, having the leisure of broadband with ever decreasing prices at their disposal, speaking out was never such fun... In fact forum'mig and blogging have become THE most time consuming activities worldwide (quite close to email n chatting).

I must say, i really didnt know how popular and/or widespread this thing had become! personally, i have come across just 3 forums: pagalguy.com, gmatclub.com, and analystforum.com. i didn`t use the word "forum" in my post coz i wasn`t sure if what i wanted was an exact forum...i was just testing the feasibility of a concept and needed inputs on what would be the best means to establish a networking base.

Originally Posted by naveeng

BTW, to start off one of those fancy looking bulletin boards of your own, it is not essential that you have codes for your meals, but it pays to #include<some_programming_concepts.h> . For, you might strike a great deal with your webhost, book the domain etc., even have your site up and running initially, but the catchword is *MAINTAINANCE*. And my friend, if you leave yourself on the mercy of someone else (as long as it is no professional) for your programming needs, you might not succeed. Having said that, it is not that tough a nut to crack if you do the basics right.

Fair enough. Some technical gyaan of what`s going on is needed, whether you`re running a website or managing WalMart! i have personally come across some fancy project managers who`ve been to IIMs but have no idea about the challenges of programming...and they come up with some patently stoopid technical ideas!

Originally Posted by naveeng

Coming to the point, there are two market leading softwares for forums - vBulletin (the one PG runs on) and phpBB, the prices for which are $160 (if i remember correct) and $0 (yes...free) respectively.
So the obvious choice would be phpBB for junta like me, but you need to be very careful while playing with it, coz there are a lot of security holes with phpBB , which can obviously be plugged by intelligent use of the mods available.

Having being there, done that, i must say its great fun as well as easy administering a forum, provided certain conditions are met.

phpbb it is then!! why did PG shift from phpbb to vBulletin? anything significantly better with the lattter?

Can u tell us some more about your been-there-done-that experiences? u`ve done something like this before...would like to take a look!

Originally Posted by naveeng

Gotta take a break now.. will b back tomorrow with some more suggestions, useful links and resources on the subject (if required i.e)

Definitely...please put in whatever links or resources you can, i would really appreciate that. Thanks!

[pagalguy]

Very good post by naveeng! I think he sums it up rather well and anything I add would be redundant. However the reason I moved from phpBB to vB was because the latter was more scalable. But thats after we hit say a 100,000 posts or so and I found the performance improvements in vB a lot better than phpBB

But for a starter forum, I would suggest going with phpBB anytime. I am not a fan of java based forums because either they arent well known or arent as well tested as the php/mysql ones..but ofcourse I might be wrong

[naveeng]

Originally Posted by Crash_test_dummy

I must say, i really didnt know how popular and/or widespread this thing had become! personally, i have come across just 3 forums: pagalguy.com, gmatclub.com, and analystforum.com. i didn`t use the word "forum" in my post coz i wasn`t sure if what i wanted was an exact forum...i was just testing the feasibility of a concept and needed inputs on what would be the best means to establish a networking base.

Well.... whatever the concept might be centered upon (as long as it aims to create an online community of sorts).... the fact remains that a *FORUM* or *BULLETIN BOARD* (as the purist may like to call it) is the best platform to boost the concept. There you can have discussions on anything under the sun (actually around it as well!) , create niche groups, make your presence felt in a big way, if you can really publicise it well. As a result these days we have forums for car fanatics, coders, gamers, MBA aspirants (apna own PG), ganguly bashers (yes! but it seems to be removed now), general discussion etcetra etcetra.... You name it and they have it... Even cos like Nokia are using these for interacting with customers -- http://discussion.forum.nokia.com/forum/

Since my nappy days of being a netizen , i'v found life in several such *forums* . First there was this http://www.computing.net for my crash-my-HD-everyday and toying-with-*nix syndromes. Its a neat and tidy (and probably one of the oldest) forum built in perl using the wwwboard script from Matt's Script Archive, porbably customised later to meet the growing needs. Then there are the likes of http://www.sitepoint.com and http://www.codeproject.com , which not only act as a discussion platforms for geeks, but have evolved to become a great hub on the web for ANYTHING technical, from sales to consultancy to provinding great support in all possible domains to n00bs n gurus alike.

Originally Posted by Crash_test_dummy

Fair enough. Some technical gyaan of what`s going on is needed, whether you`re running a website or managing WalMart! i have personally come across some fancy project managers who`ve been to IIMs but have no idea about the challenges of programming...and they come up with some patently stoopid technical ideas!

Can u tell us some more about your been-there-done-that experiences? u`ve done something like this before...would like to take a look!

Aahh codes..... aint it THE thingy for which the nerds seem to be breathing.... As for my experiences for putting up/tweaking/administering a forum.... i can now safely claim to be a phpBB freak... Though have not put my plans online yet, i got a hugely popular general discussion board running on our intranet (more than 300 users) with the focal point not being the discussions being carried on, but the R&D i've put into it. From applying a fresh template (design structure) to incorporating more than 50 mods (tweaks or bits of code which extend the functionality of the software running the board), its been a pain in the ass sometimes (more so coz the template which i chose, was not compatible with any of the mods). The frontpage which one sees on entering PG is nothing but a mod to vBulletin which gives it a portal look. Similarly you can have mods for googling directly form your site, introducing a pay system for the members, putting banners and advertisement, etc. etc. And me not knowing PHP a bit(the programming language in which phpBB, vBulletin, and most modern forum softwares are written in) didn't act as any impediment. The fact tht i work in PERL (another web language, and more than that), DOT NET, and MySQL (Database system reqd for all the softwares) and knowing a thing or two about programming in general, greatly helped me.

Will be putting up on the web in a month or two (waiting for the Yum-Be-Yay thingy to get over).. So probably ya guys can oblige then by becuming members....

Originally Posted by Crash_test_dummy

phpbb it is then!! why did PG shift from phpbb to vBulletin? anything significantly better with the lattter?

Here are two threads from a forum discussing somewhat similar question --

http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/show...light=phpbb+vb
http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/show...light=phpbb+vb

But the discussion there is not conclusive. Both have their pros n cons. If vBulletin is expensive, then it is also easy to use, administer, more secure by default, more slick interface etc. On the other hand, phpBB is unique in the sense that it is backed by hundreds of thousands of open source guys around the world, the result being, great styles, mods, new ideas, quick support etc. The learning curve with the latter is indeed steeper, but thats the way i like more.

Originally Posted by Crash_test_dummy

Definitely...please put in whatever links or resources you can, i would really appreciate that. Thanks!

Big-Boards -- the ranking (software wise, language-wise, no. of members wise etc. ) of the biggest forums on the web.

A few popular forum softwares -

1)vBulletin
2)phpBB
3)IkonBoard
4)IGN Board
5)InvisionBoard

I hope i didn't go over the board with the gyaan stuff .... Lemme knw if further explanations/help needed

Enjoi

NB: I'm not out of JOB..!! Length of the post => idiosyncracy of a programmer

[blackcatter]

Great Stuff Naveen!!! For ppl like you, this forum is what it is --a heaven for lost souls like us. Thanks for sharing all this info.. Was very helpful.