Before you can begin installing YaBB, there are a few basic things you must know, such as chmod'ing, using an ftp
client, and so on. If you think you already know these things, you can skip right to the next section.
Otherwise, let's start.
The first thing you need is a host that supports Perl. Hosts like Tripod, AngelFire, and Geocities generally do
not. For a list of hosts that do, check the
Official YaBB Support Forums.
Most hosts' FAQ pages will say if they do or do not.
So now that you've got a host, you'll need to get an FTP client. FTP clients allow you to connect to the
FTP server that your host provides. Through the FTP server, you will install YaBB. For Windows users, we
recommend
SmartFTP or WS_FTP. For others, go to
Download.com
or similar sites to download a client for your system.
Now that you have an FTP client, the only thing left to learn about is chmod. Chmod (change mode) is a process
that only Unix, Linux, and other *nix web hosts support; if you host doesn't say it's a Windows host,
then it's probably one of those. This sets permissions on files. These permissions include
reading, writing, and executing. You use your ftp client to chmod, and how you do so in every client
is different. In many of them, all you have to do is right-click on a file, select "Chmod" or
"Set Permissions," and then input the chmod number. Simple.