[Tfug] Re-learning website development

[keith smith]

Hard to reply since your only stated goal is to learn.  Why do you want to learn the newer stuff?  Is it for fun or for possible future vocation?

I've been programming in PHP - LAMP to be more specific for about 8 years.  Things have changed a lot.  In 2006 everything was scripting with a little OOP.  Today there is much more OOP, however most of the legacy code is scripts. 

I think LAMP is the most widely used configuration for web development.  I think LAMP will be strong for at least 10 more years, probably a lot longer.

I would start by making some simple CRUD scripts, then learn CodeIgniter and how it works.  Take a lot of time to analyse  CI and get under the hood.  Learn about how they bootstrap... etc. Use that OOP and framework exposure roll your own framework.  Use your framework to build your website.  Once you have completed this process you should know PHP / MySql (MariaDB) rather well.  


Ultimately you may want to specialize in a certain widely used PHP framework or one of the top CMS's - WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal.  I would suggest Drupal.  It is a CMS and framework rolled into one.   Really depends on your needs, goals, and how you want to market yourself.


 
------------------------
Keith Smith


On Tuesday, May 27, 2014 11:43 PM, John Gruenenfelder <jetpackjohn at gmail.com> wrote:
 



Greetings again TFUG,

I know there are a lot of web developers here and I'd like to get you advice.
Back in the day, which really wasn't that long ago, I tought myself to write
web pages using the then-current revision of HTML/XHTML.  Mostly static,
nothing really fancy.  The Weasel Reader website (link in signature) is
probably the most complex site I have that is still accessible.

In the past I've also created a web/PHP front-end website backed by a MySQL
database which allowed users to query the DB for a number of different items.
So, I know PHP and SQL to some extent as well, though I haven't used either in
a while.

But, in the time since then, the web has changed *a lot*.  Creating a nice,
dynamic site these days involves lots of HTML 5 and undoubtably some
server-side services.

The advice I'm looking for is where do I start to update my knowledge?  What
framework should I look at, if any?  I know *of* Ruby on Rails, Node.js, and
some others, but not much *about* them.  What back-end language would you
recommend?  Ruby, Python, Java?  I think that whichever path I take I'll need
to spend some time re-learning JavaScript, since that is how one communicates
with the browser, correct?

My goal is to rewrite my own personal website.  Currently, it is simple and
static.  I would like it to be dynamically generated and be more like a simple
CMS (Content Management System) where I can, via an admin page on that site,
add new articles/pages to my own site without needing to manually edit the
HTML source files.  I know there are pre-made CMS engines that I could easily
use, but the purpose of this is to be a learning experience.  For example, the
machine/CPU simulator I've been writing (for quite some time) is a great way
to keep up-to-date on the current state of Java and to make use of the new
features of recent Java releases.

I am leaning towards Ruby 3 and Ruby on Rails.  But, I know neither one (yet)
so if you think there is a better way, I'd like to hear about it along with
*why* you think this alternative is a good idea.  The only reason I'm thinking
of Ruby is because a web developer friend said it was really useful, but I've
never used it.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Oh, and one last thing:  I don't use website editors.  I prefer to write my
websites using EMACS.  Whether that means writing the HTML directly, or
writing the Ruby/Python/Java code which will generate the site doesn't
matter.  Site generators always create such an awful hard to read mess.


-- 
--John Gruenenfelder    Systems Manager, MKS Imaging Technology, LLC.
Try Weasel Reader for PalmOS  --  http://weaselreader.org
"This is the most fun I've had without being drenched in the blood
of my enemies!"
        --Sam of Sam & Max
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