scripting forums how to or where to find

biggest question i have is setting up a forum set like here on Xisto.com of all the ones that i have seen they expect you to pay over 200-300 just to get their board i seen some decent free ones to so my first question would be1. which scripting would i use cgi, php, asp, dhtml, my sql2. where do i start with when designing the that forum is well.3. which would be more convenant to set up as well.

well all you have tro do to setup up a forum on here is whe your get hosting on here you go on scrips and then press invision board and then it will ask you where you want to put it like /forum eg:http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ then it will ask you to creat a admin username and password. it can be what ever you want it to be then press install and then your forum will be sorted :)Mick

See there is no such as which is better, but php and mysql steals the show because of its popularity and ease of use. There are standard scripts available which are free and can be used with any standard forum or sites to enhance their usability and flexibility.But a professional site may not use php and may take help of flash or other programing and be as professional as well. Just see the budget and the creation team since even if you buy a standard script you need to theme or modify to suite your site theme and topic. Get in touchwith professionals and don't waste your time and money with some newbees.Good luck ahead.