Beginer Web Site

[xboxboy]

Hi all,

I'm about to kick off my new business. I want to have a web site, nothing fancy at this stage ie. i dont need shopping carts and automatic online ordering.

 

I intend to have a home page, a contact page, a data/help page, products page. etc etc.

 

I've read a little on HTML from a dummies book.

 

What application would be good to use for me to start?? Are there any sites that can help me learn how to use such a program?

 

Thanks all

[tux99]

install Seamonkey and use the Seamonkey Composer, it's a WYSIWYG gui html editor.

 

If you need dynamic features (php, javascript) then I wouldn't know, I myself would use a plain text editor for that.

[ianw1974]

I don't do programming or html coding, and I just installed Apache Web Server and then put joomla on it. Joomla is a content management system, meaning you don't have to do any website coding, you just add the content. It uses php, so all pages are in php. You have lots of features you can add, and it's very simple I find. Just when you install, add the demo content, so that you can see how it all works. Now, I normally do clean installs with no demo data, but the first time, I had the demo data, so I could just see how it all worked and how I could create it all.

 

All my sites are using joomla, checkout the links in my signature and see what you think. In particular, on the linuxsolutions website, you'll be able to see what different templates look like, so that you can easily change the look and feel of your website.

 

My business website is joomla.

[mindwave]

I don't do programming or html coding, and I just installed Apache Web Server and then put joomla on it. Joomla is a content management system, meaning you don't have to do any website coding, you just add the content. It uses php, so all pages are in php. You have lots of features you can add, and it's very simple I find. Just when you install, add the demo content, so that you can see how it all works. Now, I normally do clean installs with no demo data, but the first time, I had the demo data, so I could just see how it all worked and how I could create it all.

 

All my sites are using joomla, checkout the links in my signature and see what you think. In particular, on the linuxsolutions website, you'll be able to see what different templates look like, so that you can easily change the look and feel of your website.

 

My business website is joomla.

Ian,

 

I started to gravitate towards joomla when I couldnt get kompozer working but I had a BUNCH of questions I couldnt find the answers, and then found a solution for kompozer and went back that way.

 

however, since you appear to be using joomla quite successfully maybe you could help me.

 

with your 3 websites (in your signature) are you hosting those files YOURSELF?

 

or did you somehow FTP those files up to your website thats being hoseted by a 3rd party?

 

any assistance woyuld be greatly appreciated.

 

what I DID see in joomla was really cool and did seem very simple to work with.

[ianw1974]

I have one server which is completely mine. The two others are hosted for me, and joomla, etc was installed through cpanel which is how I administer my hosting for those accounts. The first, I access through SSH or FTP, or however else. I install what I need when I need it, any package, etc, as it's my server and I installed the operating system, and everything else. With hosting, I have no control of the OS or apps available to me, I can only install what they provide through my hosting cpanel.

 

How do you mean about sending the files up? What were you trying to do? Generally, once joomla is installed, you don't need to send anything as such, just insert the text through the webadmin panel. If you want to upload images, etc, then you'd need to send over ftp/ssh or something and then place them in the correct location that you want to use so that joomla can see them and display them accordingly - depending on where you installed joomla, etc.

[tux99]

I would be careful with those ready-to-use content management systems, especially the ones based on php, as they are quite prone to bugs that get exploited all the time by hackers to spread malware.

If you use any of those you will have to always keep it patched to avoid any issues.

 

Drupal is also a very popular CMS, that's reasonably easy to learn to use. http://www.drupal.org but same warning as above applies.

[ilia_kr]

I like Quanta+, my second choice would be BlueFish. Both are easy to use but aren't WYSIWYG.

You may look at this links, with similar topics:

http://www.distrostop.org/forums/index.php?topic=204.0

http://www.distrostop.org/forums/index.php?topic=134.0

[ianw1974]

I would be careful with those ready-to-use content management systems, especially the ones based on php, as they are quite prone to bugs that get exploited all the time by hackers to spread malware.

If you use any of those you will have to always keep it patched to avoid any issues.

 

Drupal is also a very popular CMS, that's reasonably easy to learn to use. http://www.drupal.org but same warning as above applies.

 

I guess I've been lucky then :)

 

Either that, or because I update my system regular.

 

But then, Apache could be exploited, or php could be exploited, or something else could be exploited...........in other words, there's always an exploit. So, in short, if you don't want to be exploited, don't make anything, or make something and then ensure it's up-to-date. Good system security, firewall security and updates to your system will ensure you're OK.

 

I looked at drupal once, and some others, but I never found many templates available. Joomla has tons of templates available, the same with Mambo, since they were based on each other at one point, and then Mambo forked and is now somewhat different.

[xboxboy]

Thanks guys, the Source Forge Perfect desktop suggests using

KompoZer

Quanta Plus

 

So it appears I have several, great it sounds, options.

 

I don't do programming or html coding, and I just installed Apache Web Server and then put joomla on it. Joomla is a content management system, meaning you don't have to do any website coding, you just add the content. It uses php, so all pages are in php. You have lots of features you can add, and it's very simple I find. Just when you install, add the demo content, so that you can see how it all works. Now, I normally do clean installs with no demo data, but the first time, I had the demo data, so I could just see how it all worked and how I could create it all.

 

Ian, nice clean, profession sites, just what I'm after

 

I would be careful with those ready-to-use content management systems, especially the ones based on php, as they are quite prone to bugs that get exploited all the time by hackers to spread malware.

If you use any of those you will have to always keep it patched to avoid any issues.

 

Hackers, a constant evil. Hopefully buy the time that the site will be worth hacking I should have someone employed or contracted to look after this. But it is a thought to keep in the back of my mind.

 

Thanks guys, got lots to go on.

[tux99]

Hackers, a constant evil. Hopefully buy the time that the site will be worth hacking I should have someone employed or contracted to look after this. But it is a thought to keep in the back of my mind.

 

Thanks guys, got lots to go on.

 

It's not your site and it's content they are interested in, but the PCs of the visitors of your site.

Their aim is to place viruses on as many websites as possible (doesn't matter if it's a mom-n-pop website or bbc.co.uk) that will then infect any unsuspecting visitor's PC (running Windows obviously). Usually websites get hacked into by automated scripts that look for known weaknesses of the most popular CMS systems which haven't been patched yet. Those scripts won't distinguish between your site and a major known website.

 

Therefore they normally don't do any noticeable damage to your site but to the visitors of your site (your potential customers!).

 

There are many many thousands of websites that are compromised like this and most of the time the website owners aren't aware of it at all, while their website is merrily spreading malware to unsuspecting visitors.

You need to take this seriously from day 1 as it can have legal implications for you too (someone could sue you for infecting their PC via your website) and cause damage to your reputation (if you run a business website).

Edited January 8, 2009 by tux99

[xboxboy]

There are many many thousands of websites that are compromised like this and most of the time the website owners aren't aware of it at all, while their website is merrily spreading malware to unsuspecting visitors.

You need to take this seriously from day 1 as it can have legal implications for you too (someone could sue you for infecting their PC via your website) and cause damage to your reputation (if you run a business website).

 

Great point, I hadn't thought of that!