Ethiopian Design

To improve project management of web site projects, it is useful to separate the technical components that go into a web site’s development. The categorizations made in this section are not necessarily distinct, but are made based on the roles you might assign to various programmers, the skills required, and the usability issues that might come up.

Web site development can be decomposed into two broad development efforts: client side and server side. Client-side development consists of three general areas: HTML page construction, client-side scripting, and client-side programming. HTML page construction refers to formatting the content and layout of individual pages with HTML, as well as integrating other technologies into HTML pages, such as Java or Flash applets.

Client-side scripting includes JavaScript or Visual Basic scripting that is sometimes included as part of a web page and interacts with the visual components on the page itself. Client-side programming includes Java or Flash programs that run primarily on the user’s browser platform.

Server-side development can also be categorized into at least three possible components: CGI programming, database and enterprise integration, and database development. CGI (common gateway interface) programming refers to general-purpose server-side programming, such as form parsing, date calculations, and other numeric processing that is difficult or impossible to do on the client side.

CGI programs are typically developed using PERL, C++, or a scripting language. Serving the same purpose as CGI programming (but technically different from it) is Java Servlet programming. Database integration is how database technologies are tied to the dynamic web pages. Although CGI programming is often used to access databases, the issues involved with database integration are specific to accessing databases.

Database integration is sufficiently different from other forms of web development that it deserves separate consideration. It includes Java Server Pages (JSPs), PHP, and Active Server Pages (ASPs). Database development includes the design of databases that feed dynamic web pages or that service transactions. Server-side development encompasses CGI and other server-side technologies such as PERL, C++, or Java programs.

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