Ask HN: Non-technical person seeking help learning how to make weekend project
4 comments
I think you should go for a Ruby on Rails / Groovy on Rails / whatever framework. My reasoning? They encapsulate a lot of the configuration files that you don't want to deal with (ugh, Spring is just annoying, with all those XML files... and I'm a Java person!). Moreover, because they're so ubiquitous, you'll find loads of plugins/code samples online for things you're looking to do. It will really cut down on your development time.
I agree with Darz, Ruby on Rails is good for getting thing upto speed. If you know you can work your way, by simple tutorials. I don't know if you are using MAC/PC but http://edgeguides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started.html this is a good way to learn how to make website. Also my suggestion would be to learn git, this would help you in long run.
Hey thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I am pretty positive I can learn from the tutorials. They seemed pretty geared towards beginners to which is great. And learning Git would allow me to be active on github?
Yup thats right, plus it will paying off when you need to figure out what changes you made say a week ago. Github is a hosting site for git code repo. Email me on gmail id: iamsidd if you need more help or specific clarification.
You can build a textfromlastnight clone using WordPress, and WordPress has an incredibly low barrier to entry. Start there, then move on to something more complicated, like Ruby on Rails or Django.
Clicakble: http://textsfromlastnight.com/
I saw great advice on a post on here that essentially said if a non technical person just asked for help and showed a desire to learn how to develop their idea, that individual would be happy to help. I am taking their advice.
Any help pointing me in the right direction would be much appreciated. If you would actually like to help me and be a part of the project, please feel free to reach out.
What I know: I can do graphic design. This will not be an issue for me. I know basic HTML and CSS and can build a static website.
What I would like to learn: I am trying to make a website that is similar to Textsfromlastnight.com. I have an idea that would function similar in concept and is a twist on the idea. How would I go about creating this type of website? What languages (PHP, java) would I need to learn or is there anything open source I could try and learn and modify for my needs. I am interested at being a better web programmer and I think this would be a great weekend project of sorts for me to try my hand at. If the site doesn't ever take off, I will be happy I expanded my knowledge.
I have enjoyed being a part of this community and thanks in advance for anyone who helps or posts!