initial push to develop a Website

rubyonrails-talk
1

Hello,

This is my first post here! I`m a computer engineering with almost no formation in web Development. What I do know, is software engineering/architecture, Java and C/C++. I also have had some foundation in XHTML/CSS.

So, this said, a friend came to me asking to develop a Website similar to eBay/Amazon/etc., I know its a huge project, so i don’t want to develop it with SQL, PHP, HTML. I want to use some Modern technology... Ive read about a few of them:

MVC → facilitates the development of website by handling all those “complicated” language (SQL, PHP, HTML) and it`s connection automatically by the use of some language:

  •  Java ->

    JSF

  •  Ruby ->

    RubyOnRails

  •  Python

    → Django

CMS → facilitates the development of website by templates; in other words, it has many templates of many kinds of websites and those templates can be customized.

  • drupal

  • joomla

T

he project has six months to be developed, at least a first working prototype. In addition, there is going to be two or three programmers doing it in their free time.

I do know some of the strengths and weakness of each MVC/CMS… the CMS is faster to develop, but its less customizable... From what Ive heard of my friends project, its not a common website, itll provide a lot more than eBay/etc. So I`m afraid of using CMS.

Most of all, the project should be modular; in other words, it must be possible to add new tools to the website after its completion.

If anyone has something to add, suggest or ask, please feel free.

Thanks in advance.

2

A CMS could be developed using one or another of those MVC kits -- a CMS is a higher-level abstraction than MVC. So comparing them is a false choice.

Unless the project fits neatly into the pattern of your CMS (f.e. Drupal is perfect if you are building a community-written book, or a magazine, or a corporate Web site with a contact form), then that's going to be the fastest way to the finish line. But the moment you stray from the fall line, you will be skiing in the trees, and often have to un-do the core premises of the CMS in order to build some bit of functionality that you really need.

Walter

3

Thanks, always nice to have some good laughs in the morning :slight_smile:

If nothing else, though, shouldn't you simply get the programmers who'll be involved together to agree on a language/platform??

4

A CMS could be developed using one or another of those MVC kits – a CMS is a higher-level abstraction than MVC. So comparing them is a false choice.

What you mean is that i should develop a CMS using MVC, so that adding content to my website would be easy and simple?

5

A CMS could be developed using one or another of those MVC kits -- a CMS is a higher-level abstraction than MVC. So comparing them is a false choice.

What you mean is that i should develop a CMS using MVC, so that adding content to my website would be easy and simple?

Maybe. What I am pointing out is that a CMS is a high-level abstraction, and depending on the type of site you are trying to build, it may be a perfect fit for your project. But it also comes with a bunch of features that only make sense if you are trying to build a content-managed site, like a blog or a news site. A lower-level toolkit, like Rails or Django or Symfony, can be used to build almost anything, because it doesn't make any assumptions about what you're trying to do with it. All it does is provide a meaningful level of "plumbing" to allow you to construct a data-driven site. It makes no guesses about what sort of site that would be. If all you need is a CMS, then you can use one and you won't have to build anything. But if what you need (and your initial post made it very clear that this is true) is quite a bit more than what a CMS can provide, then you may want to build from scratch. Using Rails or Django or Symfony means you would't have to REALLY build from scratch, writing your own database access code and template substitution system, for example.

To give you a real-world (metaphorical) example, if someone gave you a truck-load of bricks and portland cement, you could build just about anything with it. But if they gave you a truckload of 36-foot pre-stressed concrete beams, you would have difficulty making the same range of finished projects with it. The pieces are too big to make a fireplace.

Walter