I would like to download and install phpBB 2.0.6, the very popular open-source bulletin board system for an internet gaming clan. I have two computers at my disposal which I can download this onto- one carries Windows 98 and the other has Windows XP. I’ve been recommended away from Windows 98, because supposedly it is not very stable for running this kind of program. Is that true or is my ignorance making me very gullible here?
Also after this is installed I assume that the bulletin board will be based on a server operating on my computer. I recently downloaded an Apache web server, if that’s worth anything, and I’m trying to figure out how to use it (I did it so I could learn scripting, but I’m not at that part yet). I figure that means I’ll need to upload this bulletin board onto the internet somehow so that people can use it. How would I go doing that again?
If you have to choose between the two, use Windows XP. It is more stable and Microsoft is still releasing patches/updates for it.
If you put the web server (Apache) on your home machine, then you do not upload files to another site. You put them on your computer.
Check with your ISP about terms. If you are Joe Average user with a cable or DSL modem, then the terms of service are designed so the bulk of traffic goes one way. You pull from the internet; you don’t push to it. There may be usage constraints.
Also, regular home accounts have non-routable IP addresses. Your computer communicates with the ISP, whou communicates with the world. The world replies to an IP address used by your ISP. Traffic is routed to your computer.
Most ISPs won’t let you host a web page or a bulletin board unless you pay extra. Until you pay extra, there is no DNS entry or IP address that your gaming clan can use to access your web server and bulletin board.
If you are serious about this, and the bulletin board is important to you, consider a hosting service. With your experience level, though, I would consider a web log, or a community at one of the web log sites. Such as Live Journal.
Win98 is backwards compatible to DOS, which means that it lets programs do things like directly access hardware (which DOS programs do since DOS didn’t have enough of an operating system to handle all the hardware). This is an achilles heel when it comes to system stability, because a program that royally misbehaves can take over the entire OS and throw it right into the dumper.
NT versions, from the ground up, are structured completely different. They have what is called the hardware abstraction layer, or HAL. HAL, like the HAL 9000 of cinema fame, is great for saying “you can’t do that Dave.” If software tries to access hardware directly, HAL gets in the way. Either software goes throguh HAL nicely or it doesnt’ go through at all. By preventing software from doing certain things, it (1) royally screws up backwards compatibilty for some software but (2) more importantly (for you at least), it makes the system much more stable.
2k and XP are almost the same thing underneath the hood (despite the rather drastic facelift differences) so either will work well for something like this. Since you have XP, go with that.
I know this is unsolicited advice and possibly completely not what you’re trying to do, but I’d like to cast a meek vote for Linux in this situation. It’s free, stable, and more secure than XP. On the other hand, you can completely fuck it up if you don’t know what you’re doing.
I promise not to evangelize any more unless you express an interest. If you’re just learning about running PHP scripts, learning a new OS is probably the last thing you want to do.
Given the two choices you have posed, XP. It’s much more stable than 98.
I will echo black455’s suggestion of Linux, though. Another nice part of Linux is that many common distributions (Red Hat, for example) come with Apache already installed. You just have to configure it. And don’t let your inexperience discourage you. I was pretty green when I started my webserver, but I’ve learned a lot about all kinds of stuff by working with it.
Windows 2000 and XP are definitely better choices than Win98.
But honestly, you probably shouldn’t run a bulletin board on your PC. You’d need a DSL or cable connection to handle more than a few requests at a time, and you’ll need to leave your computer running 24x7. You’ll also need to install and configure MySQL (a database server) for phpBB to work.
You may want to get a web hosting service if this is important to you. That way, a professional will be in charge of running the DNS, web server, and database, and performing backups, and all the services you need will already be set up. You’ll just need to download phpBB to the appropriate place on the server and fill in the blanks to set it up.
I use a web host for running my phpBB (and the rest of my web site)… $10/mo for the web hosting, $9/yr for the domain name.
XP is vastly more stable than Win98. My old Win98 was lucky to stay up for more than a day or too. My current WinXP machine has gone weeks without rebooting.
Still, you might wanna use a webhosting service, or try Linux out.
He echoed:
-Usually, regular residential end-user restrictions include not operating any servers. Minor infractions often get overlooked, but technically, your ISP can drop you for it…
-XP would probably be better for a round-the-clock server than 98. If it’s just for a few hours, 98 would work though, and run faster on the same hardware besides. I have seen people do this for the occasional gaming sessions. However…
-For continuous server roles, Linux uptimes are typically far longer than what any MS OS manages to do regularly. And by “far longer”, I mean like, ten times as long–no BS.
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