You can either Create your own as I believe was done w/ AR15.com or you can get software from [url]http://www.ultimatebb.com[/url] or some other company. Ultimate BB is what I am using. Versions older than 6.0.5 have some kinks in them that need to be fixed. 6.1.0 and higher seem to run perfectly out of the box.
In order to run the software you need a Web Server that supports Perl (version 5 or above, I believe).
Right now, mine is running in my Apartment on a 450 MHz Pentium 3. I am running IIS 5.1 with Perl 5.6.1.631 and UltimateBB 6.1.0.
You need:
1) A Server.
2) Web Server Software.
3) A Perl Interpreter.
4) Bulletin Board Software.
If you already have a web site. Check if it supports Perl. If it is being hosted by an outside company...you will need to look around for a host who supports Perl. If you are using your own server, then you can simply download the newest Perl Interpreter. The Bulletin Board Software is a collection of Perl Scripts.
It is setup by following the instructions in the Help Folder. 6.1.0 runs flawlessly out of the box. 6.0.5 and earlier had some errors that needed to be corrected. If you buy it now, you will get the newest version of the software.
In order to set mine up, I accessed the configuration script on my server and configured the CGI, Members, Images, etc... directories. Then, it brought up the configuration page. This is where I set up the Forums, etc...
Quoted:
Hey how does one start a board. Do you have to buy a software? Have specific hosts'
I would like to add one to my personal webpage, but don't know how to go about it.
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