Web Development

My parents are asking me to put a website up for their small business. It is going to start off pretty simple (static content) but I will add stuff as time goes on. I use to do some development (asp, mysql, html, xml) about 6 years ago but I have lost that knowledge. I am looking for a few suggested books to get back in the game. Anybody have any suggestions?

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RobertKaucher

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Once you get some of that under your belt I would move on to JQuery/AJAX for the more dynamic components. Just keep in mind that web development is no longer something that you can pick up the fundamentals of super fast and be able to build some cool stuff over the weekend. The very nature of JavaScript has changed to where it is basically a "real" language now. The libraries that exist for it do help you get up and running pretty fast but they are complex in themselves and require some time and effort to get anything substantial out of them. Once you get a basic understanding of how to write the HTML/CSS and you have some theory from JavaScript be sure to read up on MVC so that you are actually writing your code in a reusable manner.

Trust me on this: if you take the time to use MVC in your design, you will be much happier when you need to make changes or additions to your code and markup. WHen I started in Silverlight I thought using MVVM (the Silverlight/WPF version of MVC) was just a waste of time for the projects I was working on; which were all relatively small and were not being unit tested. Then I started getting requests for changes/additions adn all my spaghetti code started to fall apart. On the 3rd full re-write of one application I decided to use MVVM and I have never looked back. It was so much easier, after the initial bit of effort, to go back and change things. I could completly redo the interface without making even a copy-paste change to the logic of the application.

Bl8ckr0uter

Hey Rob, how long did it take you to get to the point where you were able to do projects for people? The page itself will probably start off as a wordpress blog or even a blogger site but I will be adding content as time goes on.

Do you think it would be worth it to take a web development class? I do have that option (to take a few webdev classes).

RobertKaucher

It took me about a year to get to the point that I consider my work to be professional and not just a total hack. But really the dev stuff was still just a portion of my job. I am still doing a lot of database and systems administration. So I would say a good 6 months of study and professional work would be enough to get someone serious to a good level on JUST the web technologies. But then you need to consider working with web services, database design, etc...

It's not like it was in the dawn of HTML 4 and the Golden Age of CGI scripts and Java Applets (when Flash was just breaking into the market). It is now so complex that it is impossible for one person to have a professional level mastery of all web development technologies... That's why the good companies all have teams. You get designers who know know the HTML/CSS, developers who do the data access, and others who do the logic layer.

Bl8ckr0uter

I know what you mean. I may end up going with something like wordpress just to get started. LAMP seems like it is going to be fun, but a lot of work for me to get to a high level of knowledge.

Everyone

Look into Drupal or Joomla if you haven't already.

I used Drupal for my site. Lots of modules available that can make a site pretty powerful.

I knew HTML and some CSS and JavaScript pretty well back in the day, but got out of that game a long time ago and never really kept up with things. I remember enough to be able to customize my site to make it look at least somewhat unique. A lot of the complex functionality I have on it thanks to the core features in Drupal and modules I've installed, I'd never have been able to write on my own.

The nice thing is, you can setup roles and permissions, so you can be the only one with access to mess with the core functionality of the site, and just give your parents access to create content. If they can use something like Word, they can create content on their own with little if any training from you.

Webmaster

Bl8ckr0uter wrote: »

I know what you mean. I may end up going with something like wordpress just to get started. LAMP seems like it is going to be fun, but a lot of work for me to get to a high level of knowledge.

I'd definitely go with Wordpress for many reasons (lightweight, fast, customizable in both functionality and looks, tested by thousands, etc). But mostly because WP allows you to focus on the content rather than code (just as other CMS). Especially with all the themes/plugins/addons available you many not have to write any code at all as it would for many sites be like reinventing the wheel. "LAMP" is more about system administration than web development, and although most (WP) sites run on LAMP, unless you want to manage your own server it's not really relevant (the MP still is of course). Based on your first post above, I would start by getting really familiar with a good wywsiwyg editor, such as Dreamweaver, rather than learning MySQL, php, etc in general.

RobertKaucher wrote:

Just keep in mind that web development is no longer something that you can pick up the fundamentals of super fast and be able to build some cool stuff over the weekend.

I entirely agree with that because you refer to web development in general, things have changed a lot indeed. But, for purposes like his ("a website up for their small business"), you can still pick up the fundamentals of Wordpress super fast and be able to build some cool stuff over the weekend.

Drupal and Joomla are good systems but probably a bit overkill/bloated for a small business website.

Bl8ckr0uter

@Everyone:

Thanks! I did look at it. It did look pretty cool but I have heard good things about WP and it seems pretty easy to use. I am sure both are pretty easy to use.

@Webmaster:

Thanks for the tips. WP is sounding better. One day I would like to be a decent developer but for now I just want something I can secure easily, manage content easily and will look decent. I play with WP this weekend and see what I can do. I'll probably end up going with Amazon for the real site when its done.

RobertKaucher

Webmaster wrote: »

I entirely agree with that because you refer to web development in general, things have changed a lot indeed. But, for purposes like his ("a website up for their small business"), you can still pick up the fundamentals of Wordpress super fast and be able to build some cool stuff over the weekend.

Yes, you are right. This was more of a caution to the guy who wants to try and master everything! My concern is that Bl8ckr0uter will get super excited about the topic and the next thing you know he's putting off things important to his over-all goals to learn AJAX...

Bl8ckr0uter

Lol not likely. I really only want to master a few things and web development would be an interesting hobby nothing more. I have an aunt who is a web designer and I just don't have the artistic vision for that kind of stuff lol. I am in a KISS state of mind. By the way, your move

Everyone

The artistic side of it can definitely be the most challenging. I am not all that artistic either, but at the same time I want things to "look pretty", and it bothers me if they don't. I'm not all that great at making anything look to pretty either. Then again I suppose if I was, I wouldn't be nearly as good at making things work. :P

WP, Drupal, and Joomla (not necessarily in that order) are probably the biggest 3 out there. I did a lot of comparison between them. WP is probably the easiest to use (found out recently my dad, who just turned 60, is using it). I probably played with WP the least, followed by Joomla. Drupal just seemed to indulge my inner geek the most, so I suppose that is why I ended up with it.

Like Webmaster said, if you aren't hosting it on your own servers, no need to know LAMP. I think you can even do WAMP with all 3 too if you really want. Plenty of hosts out there that will take care of most of that for you, and all you worry about is configuring the CMS you choose and adding content. I prefer to host my own, and learning LAMP was fun for me. It is a bit more of a challenge to install WP/Joomla/Drupal on your own LAMP server, as most of the directions/documentation out there is geared towards setting it up on a hosting provider that does nothing but host those types of sites.

Bl8ckr0uter

Oh I want to learn LAMP anyway. I have been meaning to pick up some web knowledge but this is just the kick in the butt I needed. I probably will host my blog shortly.