Guys, can you give me some tips on creating my own web site.

A few years ago, I spent time time leaning html 4.0, and was pretty good at doing some things but got frustrated trying to understand frames, and then I just couldn't understand extra things like cascasding style sheets, and forget javascript!

I had dreamwever MX (still do) but was determined to learn from scratch.

Now, I want to actually deveop my own web site. Ideally it is going to have user log ins, could possibly be an Estore, with aotomatic paying right on line..or give the users the ability to make posts for things they have to offer..etc

Now, Are html, xhtml dreamweaver etc still considered the basic starting tools, or is all this stuff obsolete? I think I might need to have some sort of database...is mysql the right product?? Is PHP or SQL still used? Which one is easier to

use/learn as a programming language..PHP or SQL?

I'm not going to be able to host the site myself.

Actually, the smart thing to do is use open source solutions that have done all the hard work for you, and concentrate on skinning them.

You describe a site that's either a classifieds site, an auction site, a normal storefront, a multi-vendor storefront or a community portal. All those things exist in the open source community.

For community portals, try http://www.joomla.org or http://www.drupal.org

For a storefront, try http://www.oscommerce.com