What Software Do You Need?
Because SharePoint is designed to be used by different members with different responsibilities, the software needs for each team member vary depending on their role, as shown in Table 1-4.
Table 1-4. Software needs for different team members
|
Role |
Responsibilities |
Software needed |
|---|---|---|
|
Administrator |
Creates team sites, adds members. |
Web browser, Remote Desktop Connection utility included with Windows XP Professional (recommended) |
|
Designer |
Designs pages on site, creates site templates. |
FrontPage 2003 |
|
Contributor |
Adds documents, lists, tasks, announcements, etc. |
Office 2003 |
|
Contributor with data entry |
Completes InfoPath forms. |
Office 2003, InfoPath 2003 |
|
Reader |
Views sites and documents, but makes no changes. |
Office Reader |
|
Programmer |
Creates custom web parts. |
Visual Studio .NET, FrontPage 2003, InfoPath (optional) |
Where's the server software? You don't need actual physical access to a SharePoint server to create or manage SharePoint sites, because such tasks can be done remotely from your own PC by viewing one of the administrative web pages in the browser. However, you do need access to a SharePoint server, and here, listed from least to most expensive, are your access options:
You can purchase SharePoint services on a monthly basis from an Internet Service Provider (ISP). This is a simple and inexpensive way to try SharePoint—in fact, Apptix offers a free 30-day trial at http://www.sharepointtrial.com/welcome.aspx.
You can purchase a Windows 2003 ...