| Lesson 8 | Web site development software |
| Objective | Assess Web site development software. |
Website Development Software
You will need a simple HTML template for your e-commerce solution.
You will require in-house development software that combines HTML creation, database management, user tracking, payment gateway options, and the ability to distribute tasks across several different programs and servers. Due to the costs involved in such a product, your choice must closely match the needs of your e-commerce objectives. You should weigh issues of cost, control, and customization.
You will require in-house development software that combines HTML creation, database management, user tracking, payment gateway options, and the ability to distribute tasks across several different programs and servers. Due to the costs involved in such a product, your choice must closely match the needs of your e-commerce objectives. You should weigh issues of cost, control, and customization.
Elements involved in the product choice include:
- Ease of use
- Cost
- Support software requirements
- Hardware
- Development learning curves
- Scalability
Promote Product or Service
In spite of the many differences in available products, any product you choose should do one thing:
It should make selling a product or service as simple as possible.
Both IBM Net.Commerce and Microsoft SiteServer E-Commerce Edition work well with smaller companies and machines.
Realistically, any system running these two products should be running at least 128 MB of memory, have SCSI I/O, and have at least 10 GB of hard drive space to implement this software comfortably.
Each of these products also requires considerable training to use them properly. Although each product is graphical user interface (GUI) based and endeavors to make site creation as simple as possible, you will have to configure the following items:
In the next lesson, the importance of support and database software requirements will be discussed.
It should make selling a product or service as simple as possible.
Both IBM Net.Commerce and Microsoft SiteServer E-Commerce Edition work well with smaller companies and machines.
Realistically, any system running these two products should be running at least 128 MB of memory, have SCSI I/O, and have at least 10 GB of hard drive space to implement this software comfortably.
Each of these products also requires considerable training to use them properly. Although each product is graphical user interface (GUI) based and endeavors to make site creation as simple as possible, you will have to configure the following items:
- SQL
- Databases
- Payment gateways
- Java
In the next lesson, the importance of support and database software requirements will be discussed.
Internet Service Providers
In-house development software greatly expands on a Web server's capabilities. You should note that many ISPs provide Net.Commerce and SiteServer E-Commerce Edition for a fee. For example, Global-Servers.com allows users to cohost sites. Services include the ability to rent up to 200 MB of space, full access to IBM Net.Commerce, email, FTP service, domain name creation, and user tracking. Such providers are common and allow you to get started quickly.
- Apache Web Server
The Apache HTTP Server is a web server application notable for playing a key role in the initial growth of the World Wide Web. Originally based on the NCSA HTTPd server, development of Apache began in early 1995 after work on the NCSA code stalled. Apache quickly overtook NCSA HTTPd as the dominant HTTP server and has remained the most popular HTTP server in use since April 1996. In 2009, it became the first web server software to serve more than 100 million websites. Apache is developed and maintained by an open community of developers under the Apache Software Foundation. Most commonly used with Unix operating systems the software is available for a wide variety of operating systems, including Unix, FreeBSD, Linux, Solaris, Novell NetWare, OS X, Microsoft Windows, OS/2, TPF, and eComStation. The web server is released under the Apache License and is open-source software.