[Solved] Develop with server-side program languages (web apps) [closed]

Question

It will largely depend on your current knowledge of programming. There are several languages that you will need to know that can cohesively work together to create a web based app. On the client side you will need to know HTML/CSS/Javascript. You will likely need to expand on that with current technologies like AJAX, jQuery, etc. That alone only handles most of the end user’s side of the equation. After that, picking a server side language will depend on, again – your knowledge, and what is comfortable to you. I personally enjoy PHP, but that is only my opinion. However I feel it is easy to read and understand and programming with it can get quite a bit of tasks done, making it a fairly rich experience. However I can’t say what will be good for your own tastes. You will likely need some storage for you apps as well, so understanding of a language isn’t everything. You will need to know SQL for a database of your choice and probably session management as well.

So really when you boil it down, app development can entail (at a minimum):

HTML – markup for the browser, because your user needs something to work with.
CSS – modern websites use this to stylize their site and make it presentable.
Javascript – client side program is (almost) a must when developing an app. There is help thought with things like AJAX, jQuery, and other libraries. These have made coding a bit easier while handling common inconsistencies in web browsers.
Server side scripting – Something on the server will need to do your processing. The language you choose will really depend on how you like to program and what features you want in a language. PHP works great for me, but maybe you will end up hating PHP and decide on ASP instead. Then again maybe you say screw both of those and Java ends up being what you like. This one is really up to you.
Database – many modern day apps store data in databases. It’s convenient, accessible, and provides additional methods to manipulate your data. You will have to pick a database vendor (MySQL, Oracle, SQLite – these are just a few) and then learn some SQL to go with it.

I suggest you keep reading. Toy around with a language or two, try a few “Hello world!” apps to get your feet wet. Make a few static web pages and then use some programming to bring them to life. Once you get the hang of it you will naturally start getting ideas for what you want to make out of everything you have picked up.

One sure suggestion that I can give that shouldn’t steer you wrong is this: document, document, document!!!! Take notes of the things you learn, and write down what you want to do when starting on something new. This could be a flow chart, a sketch of a web page, or even a conceptual view of how your backend software will work. Getting things on paper make sorting out any confusion a lot easier in the future and makes developing less painstaking since you know what your end result should be.

Accepted Answer

It will largely depend on your current knowledge of programming. There are several languages that you will need to know that can cohesively work together to create a web based app. On the client side you will need to know HTML/CSS/Javascript. You will likely need to expand on that with current technologies like AJAX, jQuery, etc. That alone only handles most of the end user’s side of the equation. After that, picking a server side language will depend on, again – your knowledge, and what is comfortable to you. I personally enjoy PHP, but that is only my opinion. However I feel it is easy to read and understand and programming with it can get quite a bit of tasks done, making it a fairly rich experience. However I can’t say what will be good for your own tastes. You will likely need some storage for you apps as well, so understanding of a language isn’t everything. You will need to know SQL for a database of your choice and probably session management as well.

So really when you boil it down, app development can entail (at a minimum):

HTML – markup for the browser, because your user needs something to work with.
CSS – modern websites use this to stylize their site and make it presentable.
Javascript – client side program is (almost) a must when developing an app. There is help thought with things like AJAX, jQuery, and other libraries. These have made coding a bit easier while handling common inconsistencies in web browsers.
Server side scripting – Something on the server will need to do your processing. The language you choose will really depend on how you like to program and what features you want in a language. PHP works great for me, but maybe you will end up hating PHP and decide on ASP instead. Then again maybe you say screw both of those and Java ends up being what you like. This one is really up to you.
Database – many modern day apps store data in databases. It’s convenient, accessible, and provides additional methods to manipulate your data. You will have to pick a database vendor (MySQL, Oracle, SQLite – these are just a few) and then learn some SQL to go with it.

I suggest you keep reading. Toy around with a language or two, try a few “Hello world!” apps to get your feet wet. Make a few static web pages and then use some programming to bring them to life. Once you get the hang of it you will naturally start getting ideas for what you want to make out of everything you have picked up.

One sure suggestion that I can give that shouldn’t steer you wrong is this: document, document, document!!!! Take notes of the things you learn, and write down what you want to do when starting on something new. This could be a flow chart, a sketch of a web page, or even a conceptual view of how your backend software will work. Getting things on paper make sorting out any confusion a lot easier in the future and makes developing less painstaking since you know what your end result should be.