Web site design and development using open source codes

Recently, I got real interested in developing my own web site so I started digging into them since I do not have time to implement from fresh. I was looking into Content Management Tools like Joomla for one example. Installation was breeze but I still need something that give me overview of what will be necessary and what would be required to have the implementation and deployment of the site that can work.

During my search, I ran into IBM developer network which has Using open source software to design, develop, and deploy a collaborative Web site. It shows you from beginning to the end of what you need to do in step by step fashion. This is exactly what I was looking for and I suggest you to take a look at these if you are interested in developing your own website or web business!

It shows that it is utilizing the following tools:

• 
  Drupal. An open source content management system
• MySQL. An open source database store
• PHP. A Web-based language for supporting dynamic content with PHPMyAdmin and SQLBrowse
• Apache. An open source Web server
• Eclipse. An open source development environment
• CVS. A source code management system that tracks changes in your code

This is basics of what is covered in 15 part articles that they published:

• Building your development environment
• Getting started with Drupal
• Observing the interaction of Drupal with other software tools (such as MySQL, Ajax, and PHP)
• Building custom Drupal modules
• Deploying and tuning your installation

Each of the topics of each part is illustrated here:

Part 1: Introduction and overview
July 2006
This first article introduces the business scenario and describes the factors that drove the Internet Technology Group team to choose open source tools and Drupal over other content management systems available today.

Part 2: Design for an effective user experience
July 2006
Follow along as the Internet Technology Group team redesigns an existing Web site, analyzing business goals and users' goals, evaluating the existing site, and iteratively refining alternative solutions based on user feedback.

Part 3: Building your development environment in Windows

August 2006
Install and configure in this tutorial all the software necessary
to develop a Drupal-based Web site in Windows, including Eclipse, PHP,
and more. When you're done, you will have a blank development canvas
that you can use for any development project.

Part 4: Building your development environment in Linux
August 2006
Install and configure in this tutorial all the software necessary to develop a Drupal-based Web site in Linux, including Eclipse, PHP, and more. When you're done, you will have a blank development canvas that you can use for any development project.

Part 5: Getting started with Drupal
August 2006
Learn about the Drupal programming model used in developing Web sites, and explore different types of content, developing new features using modules, implementing hooks to enable those modules, and site URL design.

Part 6: Building a custom module in Drupal
September 2006
Create a custom Drupal module for announcements. Learn about implementation and use code samples to create your own custom module.

Part 7: Structuring content for theming using XHTML
October 2006
Explore methods to structure content delivered by Drupal during the development of a new extranet Web site.

Part 8: Styling content for theming using CSS
October 2006
Learn methods for structuring the content of a new extranet Web site, including how to change the presentation and styling of the content delivered by Drupal.

Part 9: Understanding the database layer
October 2006
Discover best practices for module developers. Get details about using the Drupal database functions. And implement the necessary code to support a new database -- IBM DB2® Express-C.

Part 10: Adding features for an extranet Web site
November 2006
Define an extranet to meet client requirements and explore implementation techniques to create an extranet Web site.

Part 11: Using taxonomies in Drupal
December 2006
Use the taxonomy system in Drupal to provide structure to your Web site, which in turn helps support navigation and organization of your content.

Part 12: Hosting and deployment
December 2006
Investigate the issues surrounding deployment of a Drupal site using virtualization technologies. Find out why the team opted to go with virtualization in this scenario and which hosting options you should consider for your own Web site.

Part 13: PHP development within Eclipse
January 2007
Use the Eclipse integrated development environment to create your Web site, with a focus on Eclipse's support for PHP and using Concurrent Versions System (CVS) for version control.

Part 14: The announcement module source code
March 2007
Get the complete announcement module that is used as an example throughout this series. All the functions from this module are included and can be downloaded in a single file.

Part 15: Lessons learned and what's new in Drupal
April 2007
You've completed the process of developing a Web site using open source Drupal driven by Apache, PHP, and MySQL. Find out which decisions and approaches worked or didn't work for the team, and the latest in Drupal 5.0.

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