Computer Grad, but no web experience. where to start?

fret_wimp2

I completed a computing degree a few years ago and have been working for the past 4 years, in sql and databases mostly.

I want to make a website of my own. I did a tiny amount of this in university, but nothing to brag about, and after a few years, its mostly fallen out of my head.

I understand the basics, HTML, the concept of CSS( but not the specifics, defo an area to concentrate on) and basic server side scripting using asp.net.

Outside of this though, i have no idea how to design a web site. i know i could throw something together i a day, but i want to do this right and learn from the experience. To this end, my questions are:

1. Where to start? do i just jump in? Do i get a book ( recommendations please)? Is there a general process or set of steps that are good starting guidelines?

2. software. dreamweaver is out of my budget. what else is there. Id prefer windows based software, but from a design perspective, im ok with using mac based software if its good enough.

3. any other points, or things ive missed that you can recommend i look into?

Thanks guys.

ted1

if your good at sql then you probably better off using asp.net for doing websites.

fret_wimp2

thats cool. But again, i have no idea where to start with making a site. I know of the various technologies but dont know fully what each are capable of.

Where do i start? open notepad and start writing html?
Sit down with a pen and paper and draw out designs, despite having no idea how to implement them?

Getting started off is my problem.

Tom Dunne

You have a number of options.

One suggestion is to look at a LAMP install (Linux Apache MySQL PHP). You can create basic webpages with a text editor, then move on to a bit more advanced topics with PHP.

If you are experienced with databases, have a look at Oracle Application Express. It essentially puts a webserver and development environment on top of an Oracle database. All web programming is done through the web browser and it allows you to create very professional web based applications. I'm currently playing around with it at the moment and finding it brilliant. Link is here: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/apex/downloads/index.html

You can get a free version of the Oracle database, look for Oracle 10g Express edition.

Dean820

I normally start off with drawing a wireframe of a the website I plan to put together. I then make a prototype. A good program I found for making a prototype for a website is Fireworks, its like Photoshop, there's plenty of tuts online. Then I start on the CSS and put in the container, header, main body and footer or whatever else. And then go to the HTML. Once you've build one website, you have a base for any other you'll ever make imo.

Try not to use WYSIWYG software like Dreamweaver as it will not help you learn off how to code yourself and the code is not as clean. But obviously its not the end of the world if you do decide to use Dreamweaver.

In terms of learning to the actual code of HTML and CSS, go to www.htmldog.com, its useful I think.

Good luck, try to be patient and stick with it.

JohnathanM

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Where do i start? open notepad and start writing html?

Terrific idea. You don't need a server to learn HTML, CSS or Javascript. Away from helpful IDEs you'll learn a ton from the outset, and you can always decide on one later. When you want to move away from the client-side and use a back-end, another poster's suggestion of a LAMP stack is great although you'd be stuck if you wanted to stick with ASP.NET.

EDIT:
You could do a whole lot worse than look at W3Schools for an introduction: http://www.w3schools.com/.
On the Javascript side, I would personally suggest also avoiding jQuery and the like until you have a good handle on what it's doing.

p

Could be a good idea to install wordpress and play with that. It'll get you familiar with using a CMS and using servers etc... and is very easy to get working quickly.

After that i'd start coding html and css and choose a server-side languae like PHP and just start dabbling. There's tons of good books & tutorials to get you going quickly.

TunaSaladBB

Dreamweaver is downloadable as a 30 day trial if you wanted to try it out. You can still code directly in it and it's handy to keep everything organised.

Is it a personal website to show your portfolio to prospective employers?

If so, I'd have a look at http://www.darraghbreathnach.com for some inspiration. Someone in a similiar situation to you.