planning to create a website - help needed

Question

Hi,

I want to create a website, just out of passion. I do not have much web programming experience( zero experience ) but I do have good Java programming skills.

I am planning to do my development on WAMP stack so that it would be easier to migrate at a later stage if needed. I have the following questions: 1) How to design a good database? Like for example I need to design tables for user registration etc. 2) Also if I were to provide discussion forums, say for example like stackoverflow does, where and how to store all the content?In a way, my question is that am I designing a content management site? If so, is Stackoverflow a content management site as well? Is the content stored in database tables? 3) Last but not the least can any one please suggest good books or tutorials that can answer all my questions for designing a site like stackoverflow?

Answer 1

If you need write databases you can use PHP and MySql php.net and mysql.com both have pretty good documentation. However if you are wanting to have discussion forums you should look up phpbb.com where you can get prebuilt forums. That should point you in the right direction plus if you google some of this stuff you finds lots of info and tutorials on it.

Answer 2

If you are looking for a SO clone, you have shapado (Ruby on Rails)

If you want to start with WAMP dev do this:

1. Install XAMPP/WAMP
2. Install a simple lightweight open source CMS to understand the anatomy of the app and the database on your localhost.
3. When you understand that, start with your prototype.
4. Code, code and code, that is the ONLY thing which will actually make you understand!

Answer 3

I am also new to web dev, so i am not sure how helpful my thoughts will be, but perhaps since I just made my first site, I could help in some way.

Since you work with Java, which was my background language, I started with C#. I am not sure how fancy you want to get, but I just made my tables using microsoft SQL server. I also used VS 2010 and used the entity framework. It was pretty easy to design the pages using asp.net with C# code behinds. Also, with the entity framework queries are much more object oriented.

This is a pretty awesome demo that got me started: http://www.asp.net/general/videos/build-your-first-asp-net-application-with-asp-net-web-forms

Sorry if what I wrote was too trivial or basic, but that is how I made my first site.