Which is which?

[manaila]

Hi,
I want to get started in Web Development. I want to be able to design dynamic web services. I have realised that there are so many languages used in web development. So I am asking for an advice of which languages I have to choose in the design of dynamic websites and databases. That is I want some sort of a "TOOL KIT" of the mosts important things(languages) that I will have to learn once and for all in order to be a web development expert.
REASONS FOR THE CHOICE OF THE "TOOLKIT" WILL BE HAPPILY WELCOME!

Cheers!

[Baradaran]

Hi,
don't worry about the language you want to use. Once you learn programming, it doesn't matter which language or languages you use.

JavaScript is essential, I think you will always need it. JS is platform independent and can be used on any computer (as long as JS is activated in the browser). If you want to work with databases, you should also learn SQL.

All scripting languages have advantages and disadvantages. It doesn't really matter with which one you start, but then you have to learn a couple of languages. Even older languages maybe helpful. You can even start learning them simultaneously, e.g php and asp or asp.net.

Good luck,
Ali Baradaran

[diafol]

Most server-side (and some client-side) languages will give you the IDEA behind programming: variables inc. arrays, control structures, loops, functions, OOP (probably).

As mentioned by Ali, you'll also need to learn SQL syntax. A general understanding of the concepts is important, you can then apply this to the specific flavour of any db platform that you use: MySQL, MSSQL, postgresql, Oracle etc.

I learned Basic, Pascal, Delphi, VB5/6, [HTML, CSS,] php + MySQL, js in that order (as well as a smattering of Perl, Python and Rails - just enough to get by). The techniques are pretty much the same. It's just the syntax that changes for simple apps. I often search for a function that I use in one language but doesn't exist in another - I just end up writing my own or pilfering stuff from forums like this one.

From my perspective, php seems to be a lot easier to implement than asp. It's also open source. That's got to be good.

So for my toolkit, I'd try XAMPP (Apache webserver, MySQL DB, pHp, phpMyAdmin DB GUI). There are extra add-ons like Mercury Mail server, Filezilla FTP server, Tomcat Perl etc for XAMPP. I've also used EasyPHP in the past.

You'll need a good IDE. I use Notepad++, Dreamweaver (hangs head in shame), Aptana and Eclipse - depends how I feel.

You'll need a GOOD FTP client - try Filezilla Client - awesome.

You'll need as many browsers as possible for compatibility testing. Safari, Opera, Chrome, Opera, IE are the bare minimum.

If you're using pHp/MySQL, download the help manuals (in chm format) - saves a lot of time.

If using MySQL, try the community version of SQLyog, a nice desktop MySQL GUI.

When progressing to Ajax, I suggest using jQuery.

If you begin to produce sites and find you need to produce them quickly, templaters can be useful. Joomla, Mambo and Drupal are easy to set up. You can produce your own templated sites with Smarty and a millions other templaters. My favourite at the moment is Rain TPL.

CSS and HTML seem to be left out when code-heads get their thing on. You just have to see the horrible things js coders do to lovely HTML! There are some apps out there for these too. I've recently started messing with Object-Orientated CSS (oocss.org). I don't know if will catch on though.

[manaila]

Thank you very much!