The best solution for distribution website?

Question

Ok, I have a question from a "client" perspective. Let's say we are talking about website designed for distribution: products + their logistics info.

Definitely less than a 2k rows, rarely changed but often accessed. Typical row with several columns will have to consist of a picture so it might make it a bit "heavy". I was proposed a websited in Django Framework coded in Python with Postgresql database.

Is it efficient? Cost-efficient, for such a small purpose is it really needed? and is there a cheaper and also reliable solution?

From what I know the porposed solution is efficient for a programmer - loads of features, flexibility, distinction between layers of code-content-graphics. It gives a chance to build rly complicated websites and databases - thus the cost of service is bigger.

What i need to know is whether the porposed solution is suitable for such a small project and could not be easily replaced by less complicated languages/frameworks/dmbses like PHP with MySQL etc.

Please help :]

and sry for not editing the q in the first place

Answer 1

I would not comment about Django & Python. But a more simpler way to store images would be to store just the "path" (location in the directory) in the tables, and load the path in your application/framework.

Answer 2

Website For small webservices you can use micro-frameworks like http://www.sinatrarb.com/ (which is written in ruby); you write simple and useful apps in a few dozens or hundreds of lines. Plug your database in via some object-relational mapper and you should have a working prototype within a few hours/days.

PDF For PDF generation, there is some great ruby library by Gregory Brown called prawn ...

Addendum A python/django solution isn't complicated/un-effective either ...

Answer 3

"What i need to know is whether the porposed solution is suitable for such a small project and could not be easily replaced by less complicated languages/frameworks/dmbses like PHP with MySQL etc. "

Yes. It's suitable.

No. Nothing is "less complicated" than Django. PHP language may appear less complicated than Python, but you'll do more work to create the site.

With Django, you define the model, define the non-administrative views and you're done. For simple sites this can take as little as 20 minutes. The built-in admin is more valuable than you can imagine.

MySQL is not "less complicated" that PostgresSQL -- they're the same thing