The two versions of WordPress are
Certain features are available to you in every WordPress blog setup, whether you're using the self-hosted software from WordPress.org or the hosted version at WordPress.com. These features include (but aren't limited to)
Table 5-1 compares the two WordPress versions.
WordPress.com (see Figure 5-1) is a free service. If downloading, installing, and using software on a Web server sounds Greek to you, and are things you'd rather avoid, the WordPress folks provide a solution for you at WordPress.com.
WordPress.com is a hosted solution, which means it has no software requirement, no downloads, and no installation or server configurations. Everything's done for you on the back end, behind the scenes. You don't even have to worry about how the process happens; it happens quickly, and before you know it, you're making your first blog post by using a WordPress.com blog solution.
WordPress.com has some limitations, however. It won't let you install plugins or custom themes, for example, or customize the base code files. WordPress.com offers some customization with its custom CSS feature — but that isn't a free service; you have to pay for the upgrade. WordPress.com offers several upgrades (see Figure 5-2) to help make your blogging life easier. Here's a list of upgrades you can purchase to enhance your WordPress.com account, with prices reflecting the annual cost:
Even with its limitations, WordPress.com is an excellent starting point and introduction to the world of WordPress, if you're new to blogging and a little intimidated by the configuration requirements of the self-installed WordPress.org software.
The good news is that if you outgrow your WordPress.com-hosted blog and want to move to the self-hosted WordPress.org software, you can. You can even take all the content from your WordPress.com-hosted blog with you and easily import it into your new setup with the WordPress.org software.
Therefore, in the grand scheme of things, your options aren't really that limited.
The self-installed version from WordPress.org is the primary focus of WordPress All-in-One For Dummies. Using WordPress.org requires you to download the software from the WordPress Web site at http://WordPress.org (shown in Figure 5-3).
The WordPress.org Web site is an excellent repository of tools and resources for you throughout the lifespan of your WordPress-powered blog, so be sure to bookmark it for future reference! Here's a list of helpful things that you can find on the Web site:
WordPress.org is the self-installed, self-hosted software version of WordPress you install on a Web server that you have set up on a domain you have registered. Unless you own your own Web server, you need to lease one. Leasing space on a Web server is Web hosting, and unless you know someone who knows someone, hosting generally isn't free.
That said, Web hosting doesn't cost a whole lot, either. You can usually obtain a good Web hosting service for anywhere from $5 to $10 per month. (Book II, Chapters 1 and 2 give you some great information on Web hosting accounts and tools.) However, you need to make sure that any Web host you choose to work with has the required software installed on the Web server. The recommended minimum software requirements for WordPress include
After you have WordPress installed on your Web server (see the installation instructions in Book II, Chapter 4), you can start using it to blog to your heart's content. With the WordPress software, you can install several plugins that extend the functionality of the blogging system, which we describe in Book VII. You also have full control of the core files and code that WordPress is built on. If you have a knack for PHP and knowledge of MySQL, you can work within the code to make changes that you think would be good for you and your blog.
You don't need design or coding ability to make your blog look great. Members of the WordPress community have created more than 1,600 WordPress themes (designs), and you can download them free and install them on your WordPress blog (Book VI, Chapter 2). Additionally, if you're creatively inclined, like to create designs on your own, and know Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), you have full access to the template system within WordPress and can create your own custom themes (See Book VI, Chapters 3 through 7).