>
> I am planning to use Ruby to develop a website which will be hosted on
> Windows using IIS, Access 2000 and SSL.

Congratulations!  A number of folks here have built web sites using Ruby.

>
> Having ** never ** done any kind of Web development before, what would the
> Gurus recommend, in terms of software tools, Ruby packages, etc. required.

Question:  Was the choice of platform/web server/database yours?  I ask because you might do better using another web server
(Apache) and/or another database (PostgreSQL or MySQL).

What is the site meant to do?  Are you sure you need a database?

Will the content be mostly static (i.e., changes once in a while) or dynamic (changes moment to moment, like slashdot, for example)?

Will you need to track user preferences?  Manage a shopping cart?  Process credit cards?
More detail would be good to help us help you.



James