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kage207

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 23, 2008
971
56
Okay, I have read some of the people who want to start making websites from scratch and what to really design their sites from the bottom up. I do want to do this as well. I know basic HTML it's relatively easy as I designed my own website Freshmen year. It was the design part that it really lacked. It was a site were you can make hyper links with pictures and such, rather easy stuff. Then my junior I learned Java. It wasn't too big, I did learn a lot about programming though. Just console applications. And then freshmen year in college I learned C++ and that again was just console applications or running programs through DOS.

So basically I do want to build a website from ground up. I want to make my own user interface with my designs such as The MacRumors logo and such.

I do want to implement a user part of the site so people can come and sign up and make profiles and such. I also want to make a forum part of the site and then there are other things that I'll be adding to the site to make it my own unique site. Like I want to be able to add a page so where people who have done something can click on the button that says, Accomplished, like a certain task and then their user name is enter on the list of people who have done that. And then from there they can load pictures or films to the page which you have to click their name to view their pictures or films.

So where do you think I should start? Any help would be great. I'm looking at W3Schools at some point tonight and SitePoint. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Seems more of what you want to do is learn a web application language.

PHP, Python, Perl, Ruby might be good places to start.

Design is really a somewhat separate thing and then you have to glue the two together using CSS / [X]HTML.

Might also want to learn MySQL / Postgres and AJAX.
 
Why reinvent the wheel? Sounds like you would be fine with any of the dozens of open-source forum software out there. A few css tweaks later and you have your own site.

PHP-MySQL is always good to know...
 
PHP-MySQL is always good to know...

Excellent recommendation if you're transitioning to web design. Knowing these isn't a necessity but will def make your design career a hell of a lot easier. Plus, if you're programming already you'll pick them up in a snap.

XHTML and CSS are necessities though. AJAX is cool, but you can do most any real-world application of AJAX using MooTools (so familiarize yourself with this and you'll be golden). And don't leave out making a habit of coding semantically and accessibly. Read latest book by Zeldman and you'll get a leg up on it. That's the way the web is moving..

Maybe that's a bit off-track...
 
See, I know that I have to start with CSS & XHTML. I understand that this is where I'm going to start.

Okay, I understand I can do kits with forums ready to go and change a few things around but I want to develop more than just that. I want to make a unique way of posting on forums and the user interface for the website.

I'm just wondering, on the graphical side of designing, what's the best side to go as well? I appreciate your suggestion so far.
 
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