Site technology needs - Step 3
This is step two in our Starting a New Website Checklist - check out that post if you happened upon this one and want to a handy link to all of the steps in order.
Picking a site technology if you know nothing about programming can be quite difficult. They each have various pros and cons, from development time to scalability. Knowing each is important, but for a beginner making the right, informed choice is crucial.
From the last step, if you’ve chosen a static site, straight HTML with perhaps a little javascript thrown in there should be fine. The vast majority of web hosts support javascript, so you have no worries about server technology.
For a dynamic site, if you’ve decided to go with a blog, or a Content Management System, I recommend checking out the PHP based open source versions. Many web hosting accounts come with one-click installations of such system where all you have to worry about is some basic configuration and designing the look and feel.
For a blog, I recommend Wordpress. It’s by far the most flexible and widely used system today. In fact, if you install the right scripts and tweak the layout it can even give a Content Management System a run for its money. For a CMS, one of the most widely used and in my opinion, easy to figure out is Joomla. Like I said, many web hosts can include free installations of this open source software.
If you’re developing your own custom code, there are reasons to use or not use various systems. They break down into:
• Development time - This is the time it takes to get up and running. Some languages take longer to code than others.
• Scalability - This is how big your website can get before it shows performance issues. If you’re not anticipating having a lot of traffic, then this shouldn’t be a factor. But Friendster originally coded their site in one language and had to completely recode in another when too many users signed up for it.
• Tools - What tools your language comes with to help out with the development process
• Maintainability - Some languages are more prone to errors and getting corrupt than others
• Cost of labor - Some languages are more difficult and expensive to find coders for than others.
Here’s a great breakdown of three languages - Ruby on Rails, PHP and Java and how they compare.
Other languages are:
- Ajax - Mostly a component rather than a language to develop an entire site in - any time you click something on a web page and it only updates that little section of the page, rather than refreshing and reloading the entire site, you’re probably witnessing Ajax in action. Ajax is heavily used on sites like Flickr and Facebook and gives your site a “slick” feel and ease of use.
- Flash - Whenever you see a heavily animated site, Flash is usually behind it. Flash plus Actionscript will also equal some really cool games if you have the budget. Flash coders are some of the highest paid in the business because they must master high quality design aestetics and match it with brilliant animation and coding.
- PHP - PHP is a language used to rapidly develop and deploy websites and interact with databases such as SQL.
- ASP - Also known as “Classic ASP” is the older version of Microsoft’s scripting language. Like PHP, it can be used to serve dynamic websites that interface with databases. However, you have to run IIS installed on a Windows platofrm server, which is costly. PHP is free because it runs on Linux. However, there are many cases where ASP is a better choice for security reasons than PHP. This article further breaks down the differences between the two languages.
- ASP.NET A much more complex and robust generation of classic ASP, ASP.NET is used for very complex sites and is not for new programmers. The linked article will seem like gibberish unless you’re a seasoned veteran. However if you’re using outside programmers they can help you decide if ASP.NET is right for you. Because I’m not a programmer, it’s always best to look at articles written by them because they provide a more relevant view of ASP.NET vs. PHP.
- Ruby On Rails is a framework that allows for quick development and deployment of web applications. Although it’s a great choice, make sure you choose a web hosting provider that supports it because not all do. Here’s a great comparison of Ruby vs. PHP.
Choosing your technology does not have to be difficult. Most beginner webmasters will choose to work with either just HTML, a mix of PHP, javascript and HTML and/or PHP-based open-source scripts that they modify. If you choose to work with a developer and use a more advanced language it’s important to have a basic understanding of each language. If it’s still Greek to you, finding a coder you trust who is not just steering you to the language he prefers is vital. Tell them how important development time vs. scalability is and see if they offer you different language options to work with.
[...] Site Technology Needs – Based on what type of site you’ve chosen to build, you’ll need to know if it’s just plain HTML or something more complex like PHP, ASP, Ruby on Rails, etc. [...]