So this is my first CNC project, i'm a high-school student and i thought this would be really cool to make.

So I have a few questions.

Is have to have stepper motors or will regular dc motors work

I understand all the mechanical setup of the CNC but what im having trouble with is how to control it.

Can i just connect the motors by wire directly into the back of my computer in the parallel port? I've heard that if its wired wrong it will fry your motherboard.
But as long as I wire it correctly it should work right?

then is there some specific software that is needed to control this?

Ive seen some people who have a separate board or 'driver' i guess. Is this needed? also how can i protect my mother board from getting fried?

thanks guys

Note: i wont be using this to mill full on metal or aluminum or anything like that its just kinda a project to get my foot in the door so to speak, and learn how to build a one properly.