Hi, I have an idea for a site, but I am unsure where to start. I have experience with making sites in html, dreamweaver and drupal and I use linux so I am not a complete novice, but I am confused buy all the computer languages that are out there.

I want to make a site where users can enter info and other users can come and search that info. I know that I am going to need a database like mysql, but beyond that I am unsure.

I know that I have a lot of studying to do and I am prepared, but I was hoping that someone could point me in the right direction.

I want the site to function like the chat function in gmail; dynamic boxes that pop up with out reloading the page. I know that I can do this in flash, but as far as I can tell I think that javascript would be better.

Here are the questions:

1. I am pretty sure that I want to use javascript, but I just started reading about Ajax which seems to be a way to iplement javascript. Is this true?

2. Also, If I attempt to do this shoud I just start studying javascript or should I start with html? or xhtml? (I am not sure of the difference).

3.Should I study css too? Can that be implemented in javascript?

4. Also, since the site will have a front (the pages with javascript) and the background (the mysql database), when I try experimenting should I start trying to build the the mysql and then the webpages or vice versa?

Sorry if this all seems random. These are a few of the things I have been thinking about. Any suggestions would be a great help. Thanks in advance - bdmp

Hi bdmp

Ill answer your questions to the best of my knowledge.

1. Yes it is. But id think you would still have to learn some javascript.

2. Im not sure, I think of javascript as just adding effects like popup menu's and html as static web pages. If your site is going to have lots of interactivity, you would want to use a language that connects to a database and feeds the data out to the user (which seems like what you want to do). Languages such as php or rails.

3. Should you study css. I dont know if it can be implemented in javascript, but I do know that you should certainly use it for every aspect of your websites styling. CSS is tonnes easy to learn though, and is automatically implemented by Dreamweaver.

4. I think you need to develop the front end and the back end at the same time, neither works without the other.

My 2 cents. I feal like I havent covered all of your questions so post again, if something needs to be know.

Maedi