You can use and configure bbPress locally if you like, but it needs to be in a server environment. You need PHP, a web server and a database. It’s easiest to have it on the same type of system it will eventually be hosted on, to minimize problems when you go live, but it’s not essential.
On Windows there is WAMP:
http://www.wampserver.com/en/
On OSX (and for many other systems) there is XAMPP:
http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html
On Linux, well, if you have that I don’t need to tell you what you have.
The machine you build, test and configure on doesn’t need to be on the Internet, but you do need to have a server environment to make this work.
By the way there are now windows ports of lighttpd and nginx to use on a local PC for testing too for a faster, lighter footprint. But their installs are not as robust as xampp or wamp though and not for novices. Also since they don’t use .htaccess but their own proprietary system you have to hand write the rules for pretty permalinks.
xampp can be installed and running in under a minute flat, it’s amazing.
@ _ck_
I was able to have premalinks like the way I want by just uncommenting a line in some configuration file. I may be mis interpreting you but what do you intend to tell here?
ashfame, I meant on lighttpd and nginx – you are are doing permalinks with just one line, it must be some kind of multiviews emulation.
Basically I am very new to website design. I have begun learning photoshop and fireworks and am building my site at the moment using dreamweaver. I may have the complete wrong lingo when describing what it is that I am asking, but I am looking into incorporating a forum into my site using bbpress. At the moment i have a domain but no server and I was just wondering if I need a server in order to start working on configuring my forum or if I can do this before setting up an account. (I have downloaded bbpress but have no idea how to install it or if it runs through dreamweaver… but i suppose that is another story all together). At the moment I am just wondering if my website needs to be established on a server in order to configure wordpress?
Sounds like you need to find someone local to walk you through it. You need a server environment to run the software. It’s not an executable you run on your desktop. You need a web server, a MySQL database and PHP. Those things can be installed on your desktop, or, with your domain, you can find a cheap/good web host to host this site, and you can install the software there. It will work either way. On your desktop, you don’t have to pay for a hosting account. If you have a domain though, why *not* get a host?
You can do this all on your desktop without paying for a server or hosting account at all, so long as you install server software on your desktop. https://bbpress.org/forums/topic/do-i-need-a-server#post-24581
Sounds good, thanks for the help!
