I'll reiterate what's been said about WYSIWYG editors. They are a pain, and I never use them, as evidenced by the fact that it took me a while to figure out how to spell the acronym.
If you haven't done much with web coding, a CMS (content management system) probably isn't a bad idea. There are several out there, and they're usually quite easy to use once you catch on. The learning curve usually isn't too hard if you know a little HTML and CSS.
As for editor, I use Textpad. It is a lot like Syn or PSPad, but I can't explain why I like it better. There is a full version that I purchased, but the free version ("trial") works great and is legal for these purposes.
As for type of hosting, it depends on what you'll use. If you're using ASP, I'd recommend Windows (obvious reasons), but for PHP and MySQL I prefer to use Linux. If you're doing anything with Dreamweaver or *shudders* Frontpage, it doesn't really matter, just be sure that the package allows the Frontpage extensions if you use them.