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No, I'm not advertising my website. I just want to know how one goes about starting a personal website, the tools I need, where I can get a free host, etc. Plus, I want my own domain name, is it possible to get a domain for free?

Right now I hve a copy of Dreamweaver UltraDev 4 a friend "shared" with me .

I also have a book on PHP/MySQL. I know some basic HTML, but nothing else.

WOOHOO DREAM WEAVER YAHOOOOO!!!!!!!
that prog just freakin kicks ass

Most helpful comment ever .

To create a regular personal site, PHP/MySQL knowledge is not needed, and in most cases you can't get a free php host that professionally supports a domain name anyway, and even free php hosts (I'm almost sure) don't give you a MySQL database. Domain names are usually paid, except if you want to take one with a .co.tk ending (or similar), which forcibly add advertisements to your site. There are many very cheap hosts out there, you can get a cheap host and a cheap domain name at www.godaddy.com.

To make your website look good, learn HTML completely (or almost completely) and also learn CSS, which helps you style your website. You can also learn Javascript, but that is much more difficult and not at all necessary. It allows you to make things like appearing/disappearing HTML elements, moving elements, etc.

PHP is for dynamic generation of pages, learn that (if you find a suitable host) to make your site look more professional and be more user-friendly.

You can also make a site on something like Geocities, many very good personal sites are hosted there (M Army is one example ).

EDIT:
You don't need advanced tools at all, all you really need is notepad. Those advanced tools simply make it easier to make the code, and some more advanced ones can correct your code and such.

for more tuts
w3 schools

for free domain name
tk registration

for hosting or w/e
tripod
-angelfire
-cybercities
bravenet
addyour
freewebs

i say u use freewebs

ADDITION:
ive rented 1 html book (sams)
ive baught 5 books on
-html
-css
-java
-sql
-php

ADDITION:


php designer 2005
dreamweaver
photoshop for image slicing i guess...
fireworks xm 2004
notepad
microsoft access or something else for mysql

found at www.download.com

but ya, notepad is basiclly all you need unitl php or mysql.
I dont know about mysql but php should work in notepad

ADDITION:
o yea and if u need any help just pm me k ???

» notepad is basiclly all you need unitl php or mysql.
A server, PHP, and MySQL installed is all you need besides Notepad to do PHP and MySQL. And even then, that's only if you run your own server. If you use someone else's server, then you'd still only need Notepad.

addyour.net :]

wwwwwwwwwwwwaiitt so if u want ur own server such as www.something.com? then u do u need to install php? Cause i got a book that tells me to install something for php but i have no clue what it is.

www.something.com is a domain name. It points to the IP of a server. A server is a computer running software such as Apache.

Which is, in turn, interpreting files with a .php or something file name ending to present the browser with the results of the php programs. You need to install Apache on the server, then install PHP, and for best results install MySQL or another database.

Dreamweaver should be good for all your website-making needs. The only thing I think it doesn't have that you might need is MySQL support; it doesn't fix your MySQL query format, you have to make it work by yourself. Well, it also doesn't fix your PHP code, but it's better that way if you want to learn it completely.

Oh, and bilal, one question.. Why did you buy a seperate CSS or MySQL book? There is plenty of books that teach both HTML and CSS, as well as both PHP and MySQL (more of the latter, though).

the ones that teach 2 are like $50 when others (in easy step) books are $15 but the php one was $20.

They usually all cost around $40.