You're absolutely right. Guess I was just feelin bitchy... I usually avoid these software and browser bashers..  In the same token, we can say there's more than a few people out there that don't know how to use Frontpage, and those are the ones that wind up with the proprietary code on their pages...   

Xoops is a content management system, like php-nuke, post-nuke, and even such blog creation packages like Wordpress etc. (which works pretty well as a cms with the right set of plugins added).  Mostly people run it through an administration page they log into from the web running Apache, some version of php from the server, and a database housed on the server too. 

You can run it from your personal computer as a development tool provided you install server software.  There are easy install programs out there (WAMP5 and Apache2Triad) that will install the needed Apache server, mySQL database and php 4 and/or 5 for you, taking some of the guesswork out of configuring, but if you go this route, make sure not to leave the doors to your computer open for attack by running the server software while you're casually surfing the 'net...  or setting the software to autostart when you turn the computer on.  This route should only be used for testing your site before going public or something

If your web host uses CPanel as a site  administration tool, chances are they will have Fantastico loaded as one of those tools. Fantastico features easy click installations of content management systems, including Xoops, aloong with others, blogs (almost the same thing except "blog" sounds nicer that "comes" for cms), shopping carts, php galleries like Coppermine Gallery or Gallery2 etc.  This way all the configuring, including setting up the database is done for you during the install, and all you need do is log into the admin window, which it tells you how to do after the install is complete. 

I happen to be working on a new site right now using Drupal.