I’m using my old desktop from 2010. There’s no such thing as a server that can “do it all”, but any computer from the last 10 years would probably be a fine place to start. The more you do, the more likely you’ll be to hit some sort of performance limit, and by that time you’ll know more about what you actually want.
In short, find old cheap/free hardware and start playing around.
One thing to understand about web design is that there can be multiple pieces, depending on what you need the site to do.
At the least, you’ll need to learn about HTML and CSS - this is the basic structure of how web pages are presented. In theory, a very simple website can just use these two.
It’s also common to integrate Javascript, for things like dynamic actions on the page that can’t be handled by the HTML/CSS (once you learn those two, you’ll have a better idea of their limitations and what JS can do for you).
All of those three (HTML/CSS/JS) are “front-end”, which means they all do things in the user’s browser. You can also add “back-end” components, which run on another computer on the internet, and often generate some of the HTML. This includes languages like PHP, Python, Ruby, and Javascript (yeah, it can be used here too, which can be confusing). Back-end components are for things like databases.
If this is all new, I recommend looking at freecodecamp.org - they have a great program that goes through each of these pieces in a logical order.
This is one of the rare occasions I would recommend putting “diploma withheld” on your resume.
Nobody said it would be easy
Looks like a tetrahedron to me.
I don’t know that it was ever as much like that–I think the earlier adopters of those technologies were more like that, and as the general public gained interest and increased usage, the trend swung the other way. Remember in 2005 when owning a mac device basically initiated you into a cult? Apple stores were set up like sanctuaries where people came to worship.
If you feel most familiar with Debian, I recommend looking at Mint. It has great compatibility and is otherwise easy to use, and it handles GPUs well (including Nvidia). In terms of hardware, I’ll agree with the others here–used is the way to go, you’ll get a lot more for your money than buying new.
That being said, you can also look for clearance and/or refurbished PCs. This one would probably be powerful enough.
Owen Wilson is looking rough these days.
There’s one other advantage to wireless here: a bionic prosthetic is moving a lot, and that’s not great for wire harnesses or connectors. Going wireless potentially allows for greater range of movement (or at least removes the engineering challenge of making it durable long term).
Damn, if she has any tech-savvy siblings, this would introduce a whole new level of “why are you hitting yourself”
Doubtful. Without Linux running the majority of the internet, I doubt the desktop scene would look the same as it does today.
I’m not an expert, but any time I’ve needed to do this, I set up my own router as a client to the parent router, and I set my router (client) as the DMZ in the parent router. Effectively you end up with two routers that are both (more or less) connected directly to the internet, without the two networks messing with each other. It’s also minimally invasive to the parent router (even old stock firmware has always had a DMZ option).
The tricky part then is using the wireless connection as your “WAN port,” rather than a physical one. In which case, as long as you can install OpenWRT on it, you should be fine.
Arrest him, y’all bumblenuts!
Haha nope
step down
How about we call for his arrest and trial?
Oh! And if she’s into puzzles, look at Islands of Insight. First person with puzzle solving as the main mechanic, but also some exploration and a bit of mystery to it.
I’d consider what kind of game she finds fun and compelling–that’s more likely to engage her to become familiar with the mouse/keyboard combo.
That being said, Minecraft on peaceful mode would fit and is generally approachable. Stardew Valley is pretty relaxed as well, though I don’t remember whether it uses WASD specifically.
Yeah, but right now it’s about SCOTUS. Sometimes it’s other stuff.
The answer also depends on your level of experience and how much you want to learn doing this. You mentioned you haven’t done this before, but are you otherwise comfortable using computers and figuring things out? Are you familiar with Linux and/or the command line? In addition, are you hoping to tinker around and learn a lot from this, or are you more concerned with just setting it up so you can use it?
There are options for all levels of expertise and technical interest, but I recommend starting with any hardware you already have or can aquire for cheap/free (especially if you’re hoping to tinker and learn more). As another commenter suggested, finding an old desktop or laptop and putting a NAS operating system on it would be a great starting project. Then once you play around with it, you’ll know if/where you want to spend some cash on something better. If you don’t have old PCs laying around, check on whatever you use for local buy & sell listings, you can probably pick up something for pretty cheap.
If you’re mostly looking to play around and you don’t have any extra hardware, you can also try things out in a virtual machine (download VirtualBox), which will let you learn without any monetary investment.