Do I just need to know PHP? And do you think I'll have to upgrade my hosting? (Right now I have the cheapest one from godaddy.com)
You dont need to know anything.... actually Just have a domain and webspace.... then install vBulletien if you want to spend money. And if you want to start for free start a phpBB forum package on your server webspace and then install themes , avatars , smileys, mods etc... and whatever you want ....configure and you are done.... Thats a easy job... but the next job is difficult "Getting members"
To program your own forum you need sound knnowledge of a server-side programming language like PHP, Perl, Coldfusion or ASP. You'll also need to be able to do some database development in a database server like MySQL, MSSQL or Postgre SQL. A good forum is a big project. There are lots of really good free and good value forums out there (like this one!) so it's much more cost-effective to buy one.
Yes it is quite easy to install these forum scripts, but you might need some basic knowledge on how things work. A tip is that phpBB often are available to install automatic in cPanel, if your webhost has cPanel as the controlpanel that is. And Yes, the hard part of running a forum is getting active quality members. //Andreas
As has been mentioned, installation itself is pretty easy, even a novice can do it. If you find yourself stuck though, people can install it for you for about $5-10 I believe. All you need in terms of hosting is a database available (mySQL being the most common).
You don't hardly need any technical knowledge...but don't just start up your forums without a clear plan. If you don't know where you want to go with your forums or what you want them to be, you won't get very far.
Ok, I downloaded phpBB, now what do I do? I can't find a readme file. EDIT: I found the readme file, hopefully I'll be able to understand it...
Oh, I just checked my godaddy hosting account, and it says I have Economy Hosting w/ ASP /Windows. Then I clicked on the upgrade/downgrade link, and it has one that says Economy Hosting w/ PHP. I just switched to that one. Did I need to do that?