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An Xbox "dashboard" is what you see when your Xbox boots up without a disc in the dvd-rom. It is the GUI (graphical user interface) that you see on your screen. When you install an alternate dashboard, then you are installing an alternate GUI, with lots of additional features. The menu setup on most alternate dashboards can be configured so that the features, tools, and utilities that you add to your modded Xbox can be run. In some ways, you could think of the dashboard as your Xbox's operating system (like Windows).
Before you install an alternate dashboard, your Xbox must be modded with a modchip, and you must be running a hacked bios such as Xecuter (x2). In order to connect to your Xbox from your pc so you can install all the cool underground Xbox tools and utilities, you will have to install an alternate dashboard. Most alternate dashboards come with built-in FTP servers. An FTP server is necessary so that you can connect from your computer to your Xbox and transfer files back and forth. An exception to this requirement is if your Xbox mod chip is flashed with any Xecuter (X2) BIOS from version 4980 on up. If you are running an X2 bios from version 4980 or higher, then the bios itself includes a built-in FTP server, so that if you know your Xbox's ip address on your local network, you can connect to the Xbox from your computer. However, it's really much easier to just install an alternate dashboard, and all of the major alternative dashboards include the FTP server you need.
All alternative Xbox dashboards are built with Microsoft XDK, therefore (probably) making them illegal. The most popular alternate dashboards are EvolutionX (evox), Avalaunch (ava), and Unleash. Despite the popularity of ava and Unleash, I recommend that beginners start with Evox. It is the most widely supported dashboard, and is very beginner friendly.
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