Purchasing software
Interested in purchasing software for your website? Off the shelf software like a web development tool or web design software of some kind are usually compatible with all web hosts, but it’s a good idea to call in and make sure just in case. Usually this is more dependent on the operating system that you are running at home. Look at the box before purchasing to make sure that your PC meets the requirements. Then determine whether it works on your PC or MAC specific computer. After that they just need some time to get over that learning curve to use and getting a web hosting account.
Purchasing software online for using it on your website
This is a whole new ball game and requires or rather has nothing to do with the computer you are using at home, but rather the specifications of the server your website is on. When looking at software to use for your website, the software should have server specifications that need to be fulfilled in order for it to work properly. This would be versions of say PHP or Java and maybe operating system type like Linux, Windows, Solaris etc.
When shopping for a new web host, make sure that all the specifications are met. Some software does require more than your average shared web hosting account, so be certain that you want to invest more than the typical $5-$10 shared hosting price. You are always safe with a Virtual Private Server account at about $30-$50 introductory price and avoid really cheap web hosts as they seem to be a little suspicious. The idea here is to find the idea host to serve your website, the software and will give you pretty decent service and I am always a strong advocate of the phrase, ‘you get what you pay for’.
If you are truly a newbie and ignorant to what you need, the best way to go about this is to actually ask the developers, who they recommend to host and what package will do the best job. It is important to let them know what you expect as far as service and quality is concerned because in the consumer’s eye quality outweighs quantity. Keep in mind that a lot of software can work on your basic economy hosting plan, however, performance is usually hindered due to the amount of users on the server which is the only drawback and if you can afford it, look for a package that will guarantee you RAM. Space and bandwidth do not matter if you don’t have the ram to run your site. The shared environment may have tons of RAM, but remember, you are sharing it with hundreds of others. The packages that do guarantee RAM are more expensive, but guarantee you ‘X’ amount of server resources.
After signing up with the web hosting provider that you are most satisfied with, you will need to install the software. Now, this could be a project beyond your comprehension if you are not too up to speed with hosting and how to install software, so if the choice were yours, see if the company you bought your script from will install for free (usually they do). If not, then make sure your host can do it or you just bought a service that you can’t use at all.
Finally, you will need to locate a designer if you are not able to design the site yourself and be wary of web base design tools as they are usually rigid and don’t work well with other software. It’s better to invest a few dollars for a designer to put up a simple template, therefore keeping your costs down and getting your site up real fast with no problems about compatibility.