Tools needed to create a website?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the tools and processes required to create a website, including both basic and more advanced techniques. Participants explore various aspects of web development, from initial setup to design considerations, and the use of different programming languages and frameworks.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks clarity on the tools needed for website creation, expressing familiarity with programming languages like C/C++ and Java but uncertainty about web technologies.
  • Another participant suggests using site builders for quick deployment versus learning to develop a site from scratch, highlighting the importance of understanding HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • A participant expresses a desire to create a professional site for an organization, indicating a preference for building from the ground up rather than using templates.
  • Several participants mention specific resources, such as books on HTML and PHP, as helpful starting points for learning web development.
  • One participant shares their experience building utilitarian websites, noting the limitations of their designs and the potential need for JavaScript or server-side programming for more complex features.
  • There is a discussion about improving website functionality, including linking glossary terms to enhance user experience.
  • Participants inquire about the costs associated with domain names and hosting, with estimates provided for both initial and ongoing expenses.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of opinions on whether to use site builders or to develop websites from scratch. While some advocate for the simplicity of site builders, others emphasize the value of learning to code and create custom solutions. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best approach for different needs.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various resources and personal experiences, but there is no consensus on the best tools or methods for website creation. The discussion reflects a range of perspectives on the balance between ease of use and depth of understanding in web development.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for individuals interested in starting their own websites, those looking to understand the basics of web development, and learners seeking resources to enhance their skills in HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript.

vivek.iitd
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Hello everyone, I need to create a website. Therefore, i would like to ask what are the tools required for the same. I know C/C++, java. I know that website designing is done in HTML, PHP etc. but i cannot form a clear picture of the same. I would like to know step by step procedure to create a website. Any help would be appreciated.
 
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Are you primarily interested in having a site up and running, or in understanding and being able to develop a site?

If it's the first one, just go to Google Sites or the N equivalent site builders out there and get something up and running in minutes.

Otherwise, W3Schools is a good site to start with, take a look at the HTML, CSS and JavaScript sections and a server-side language such as PHP.

Websites serve HTML, which is processed by browsers. Server-side languages like PHP are used to dynamically generate the HTML that is served to the client. HTML can contain:

1. CSS - tells the browser how to render the page. Designers often use image editing programs to create the look and feel, then CSS to achieve the same result (that's because designing by directly manipulating, and being constrained by, HTML/CSS, is a pain).

2. JavaScript - code that runs on the browser and is used to manipulate the contents of the page once it has loaded from the server.

That's the basics, the rest is just practice.
 
Actually i am interested in having a site up, as in let's say i have an organization and i want to build a site for the same (dot-com kind of thing). Regarding Google sites (or any other site builders), i think they are just like blogs, i.e. you just use predefined templates and fill in the blanks.
Though, i want to get professional and want to start from the scratch and build up on that (I don't know how difficult it would be).
 
As of now, i have these books
"HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide" by Bill Kennedy and Chuck Musciano (O'Reilly).
"Learning PHP 5" by Sklar.

to get started.
 
vivek.iitd said:
As of now, i have these books
"HTML & XHTML: The Definitive Guide" by Bill Kennedy and Chuck Musciano (O'Reilly).
"Learning PHP 5" by Sklar.

to get started.

I have built several web sites using only that book as a guide, but I do have to add that they are very utilitarian sites, rather plain looking and don't have anything like a shopping cart or a checkout process, they just serve up pages of images and text. If you want to get more elaborate you'll likely have to use either JavaScript or server-side programming, or both.

Here are some of my sites:

wood ID: www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/
BOWLS: www.phinds.com/bowls/
jewelry box veneer: www.hobbithouseinc.com/store/
wood glossary: www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_glossary.htm
wood poster: www.woodposter.com/
woodworking acronyms: www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_acronyms.htm
 
phinds said:
I have built several web sites using only that book as a guide, but I do have to add that they are very utilitarian sites, rather plain looking and don't have anything like a shopping cart or a checkout process, they just serve up pages of images and text. If you want to get more elaborate you'll likely have to use either JavaScript or server-side programming, or both.

Here are some of my sites:

wood ID: www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/
BOWLS: www.phinds.com/bowls/
jewelry box veneer: www.hobbithouseinc.com/store/
wood glossary: www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_glossary.htm
wood poster: www.woodposter.com/
woodworking acronyms: www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_acronyms.htm
Beautiful poster.

Say, do you link to those acronyms in your sites? If so, you could make your Glossary even more user-friendly.

You could add a name attribute to each label, like this:
PHP:
<br><br><b name="GCSS">GCSS</b>

Now, anywhere you use GCSS in any online doc, you could make it a link directly to this line, like this:

PHP:
I like to use <a href="http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_acronyms.htm#GCSS">GCSS</a> to do my woodowork.
 
phinds said:
I have built several web sites using only that book as a guide, but I do have to add that they are very utilitarian sites, rather plain looking and don't have anything like a shopping cart or a checkout process, they just serve up pages of images and text. If you want to get more elaborate you'll likely have to use either JavaScript or server-side programming, or both.

Here are some of my sites:

wood ID: www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/
BOWLS: www.phinds.com/bowls/
jewelry box veneer: www.hobbithouseinc.com/store/
wood glossary: www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_glossary.htm
wood poster: www.woodposter.com/
woodworking acronyms: www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_acronyms.htm

Really interesting websites i would say. This is what i was actually looking for, a correct picture of how to design a website. Thank you very much.
If possible, could you please tell what is the cost of buying a domain name and other costs?
 
DaveC426913 said:
Beautiful poster.

Say, do you link to those acronyms in your sites? If so, you could make your Glossary even more user-friendly.

You could add a name attribute to each label, like this:
PHP:
<br><br><b name="GCSS">GCSS</b>

Now, anywhere you use GCSS in any online doc, you could make it a link directly to this line, like this:

PHP:
I like to use <a href="http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/_acronyms.htm#GCSS">GCSS</a> to do my woodowork.

I may play around w/ that Dave. Thanks. I'm very aware of a TON of things I could do to improve the sites. I think what you have there is functionally identical to the way I DO tag the items in the glossary and in fact, it's how my auto-generated "pages" within the glossary get back and forth to each other.
 
vivek.iitd said:
Really interesting websites i would say. This is what i was actually looking for, a correct picture of how to design a website. Thank you very much.
If possible, could you please tell what is the cost of buying a domain name and other costs?

Domain names will run you as little as $5 for the first year if you find a sale. Regular yearly prices run from $10 to $15 depending on who you register with.

Sites are free for small ones and they go up from there. I have been using a VPS which is very expensive but while a VPS was a good idea for a site the size of mine back about 10 years ago when I started it and wanted room to grow, these days my site is small potatoes and I'm going to switch over soon to a hosted site that is about $100/yr (discounted to $50 the first year including another domain name)
 

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