Though no technical skills are required to use and benefit from blogs, it is still instructive to examine the software and hardware that make blogs possible.
First, a blog requires a
server, which is a computer that shares its resources with users' computers. An operating system runs on the server, typically a
Unix variant such as
Solaris,
Linux or
FreeBSD, or a Microsoft product such as
Windows Server 2003.
Next, the server requires
web server software. One of the most popular servers is an
open source package called
Apache. This software interprets
URLs and takes requests for web pages and other files over the Internet. Other software packages, such as Microsoft's
Internet Information Services and the
Sun Java System Web Server from Sun Microsystems.
Along with server hardware and software, a database system (such as the open source
MySQL) and a programming language (such as the server-side scripting language
PHP). Finally, a
content management system is needed to manage both posting articles and delivering them to readers. Numerous systems are available that are blog-specific, including
Nucleus CMS,
Movable Type,
bBlog,
WordPress,
Drupal,
b2evolution, and
boastMachine.
Alternatively, a prospective blogger can start a blog using a site such as
LiveJournal or
TypePad, both owned by
Six Apart, or
Blogger, which is owned by
Google and which was used to create this blog. The advantage of such web-based tools is that users do not have to own, rent, or configure servers and server software. However, these services may be less flexible, charge a fee, or display advertisements beside blogs hosted on their sites.
