introduction to web programming

Question

if i wanna create web sites, is "Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML" a good start? p.s. but my plan is to move to web applications after i get basics of making web sites thanks

Answer 1

@Aydar, this is an extremely open ended question and far too much for a single answer.

If you are interested in Web Development then I suggest some research using Google to begin with and then aske more specific questions.

Look for HTML, CSS to begin with and get accustomed to the markup the web uses. The you may want to look into C#, or another language, and begin looking into how to write the code that produces the HTML.

After that it's an open field of technologies such as SQL stuff, Communications etc etc.

Spend some time getting into just Web pages and how they work and then I think you'll naturally start finding questions that need answering and you can then either come back here or google them as well.

Answer 2

This is a VERY broad question. The answer will vary radically depending on what you want to do: webSITES, or web Applications?

Websites are static pages. Designing them has more to do with publishing and print skillsets than programming. Your hard skills are:

• HTML
• Javascript
• CSS
• HTTP/HTTPS/SSL
• IP Networking (a little, not a ton)

Web Applications are software development. Your hard skills are:

• Choose a Framework (these are just a few):
  • ASP.NET / IIS
  • Java J2EE / Websphere / Apache / Tomcat
  • PHP
  • Python
• Choose a database
  • SQL Server (Microsoft)
  • Oracle
  • MySQL
  • NoSQL (i.e. MongoDB)
• EVERYTHING else you need to know about programming

Start with Web Sites, because you'll need that stuff for Web Applications as well. When you're comfortable with the basics, move on to Web Applications. Pick a framework, then go to Google. Search "getting started with X." I prefer online resources, but you might find a "getting started" book useful. Make sure it's very broad-scoped and current, because dead trees go stale quickly.

The most important advice:
Work on real projects that do real things. Start small and don't be afraid to reinvent the wheel. Real projects will help you put your learning into context so you understand how all the pieces fit together.