# Newbie Website Plan.



## jmcareavey

Hi guys,

I'm new to the world of website design and I'm hoping I'm in the right place to ask some advice on building an e-commerce website (Sorry if it's not, please feel free to move it to the correct discussion section!).

Having asked around, I was looking to build a wordpress-based website with an e-commerce plug-in, which I could then try and customise on top of that. Would this be the best kind of plan? I've been learning HTML and CSS over the past couple of months and have no real understanding of website set-up. The website itself would probably house around 500 products.

I know I need to learn PHP and MySQL on top of this, and I was thinking that the best way to learn was probably a combination of w3schools and actually playing with the code. So I'm trying to register a domain to play around with and I was hoping someone would be able to provide domain registrar and hosting company recommendations (for the UK)? I think PHP works best with Linux servers, is that true? I've no experience of using a Linux server, so if anyone has any tips I would greatly appreciate it. Finally, does the domain registrar and host have to be the same company? If not, does this complicate matters in terms of website set-up at all?

Many thanks in advance for having a look through the post, any and all recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Kind regards,

John.


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## Laxer

Hi John,

Unless you are working with others on learning php/sql there is no need to buy a hosting account.

Just set up a localhost. (Xampp, wamp, lamp(linux))

I prefer WAMP(link in my signature)

What this allows you to do is _host_ a website on your computer that is only accessible by your computer.

The powerful thing about WAMP is that it allows both PHP and MySQL meaning... not only can you install wordpress to play with. You can also modify it freely and learn html/css/php/mysql at the same time.

Wamp is rooted in Apache, which in my opinion is the best server software to go with(I am not a big IIS fan). You can do things like mod rewrites and adjust permissions without being afraid of a potential malware attack or something similar.If you still want domain and hosting I suggest you look around to see what fits you best.

Godaddy offers a great basic starter package for ~$50 or so a year. Only fall back is godaddys admin interface is awful.

Bluehost is another great alternative with access to cpanel and many other apps.

My current favorite budget hosting company is: Web Hosting Services, Reseller Hosting, VPS Hosting, and Dedicated Servers by HostGator I have found that they have a great starter package with powerful developer tools. (WHM,Cpanel,PHPmyAdmin,etc)

They also have good speed and constant up time.

Let me know if you have any questions on either.


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## jmcareavey

Hi Laxer,

Thanks for your reply.

I've tried setting up a localhost previously but haven't had any luck when it comes to trying to play around with PHP and SQL on there. I think I must have been setting it up incorrectly, would you know of a good tutorial that you may have used in the past that would detail the process? I've purchased a domain and hosting over the weekend, but if you have a tutorial it wouldn't hurt setting up localhost either.

Forgive me if I'm wrong but as a Mac user I don't think I can use WAMP and have been using Xamp so far. Is Xamp okay as far as functionality goes?

Thanks very much for your help, really appreciate it!

Kind regards,

John.


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## Laxer

Xampp is very similar to WAMP.

I have used both and just like WAMP a little more...

Here is a tutorial: Using XAMPP on Mac

I believe the default password for SQL user: root password: toor


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## fileppoa

Thanks for your most helpful information. Thanks..............


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