So, using phpBB is only half the story. When we call up the C-Brat site, our computer, acting as a client, accesses another computer, acting as a server which supplies the data to allow our computer/browser to display the page. And remember, displaying the page is only part of the C-Brat site. There's posting a topic, setting up forums, sending messages, having some control over the process (security,) etc. phpBB does some of this but not all.
First you need a server. Windows 7 is not a server, but for instance Windows Server 2008 is (did you ever think Microsoft would miss that chance?) And there are other servers available of which one is Apache, an open source software package. For the Journey On web site, I rent space on a server in Chicago (I think, it doesn't matter.) So, when, using your browser (Firefox, I hope,) you click on dobro-journey.com, the request is sent to a server, which supplies the requested html and jpeg data, and your browser displays the wonderful story of our trips.
Now, I like to develop software on my home computer and then send it to run on a server. Again Windows 7 is not server software. But, there is a package of software called
XAMPP, which males your computer run like a server under Windows 7. XAMPP installs Apache (server software,) MySql (data base) and other modules which Da Nag can tell you about, but I'm not sure. There are others like XAMPP, but I had trouble installing and configuring them. XAMPP is open source and free.
Or, since servers have a lot of support built in, you can develop a phpBB application on a (rented) server. Most offer good technical support, too. I'm not that bold. For example I use KomPozer for developing web pages and send it on. Other brave souls use the support provided by the server, but their editors are somewhat limited.
So now you can develop your own forum/breadboard, or you can enjoy what Da Nag has given us. And now appreciate all the work he's put into this site. And contribute to the Tip Jar.
Boris
