[ale] Re: e-commerce

[Robert Gash]

On Mon, 20 Jan 2003 21:27:28 -0500, raphael was overheard saying:
|  Any recommendations about how to set up an e-commerce site under Linux?
|  I guess that Apache and MySQL are the first step but how would one
|  integrate them so that I can put together a catalogue online? That pulls
|  data and images from a database?.  and eventually do some credit card
|  billing???  
|   
|  What is a good language to learn for this

Depending on your level of programming experience there are a number
of choices.  Java (through Servlets, JSP, and possibly EJBs) offers a
very strong offering when developing highly flexible and scalable web
applications.  There is a bit of a learning curve, and JSP can be
quite nasty, but if you have the background to allow you to maintain a
complicated site the amount of flexibility and vendor support
available is unparalelled.  That being said, don't try to re-invent
the wheel.  Look at the OFBiz guys (mentioned in another thread) as a
good starting point.

If you're new to the world of programming or don't feel comfortable
managing the various components that you'd need for a J2EE based
solution, then PHP is another very strong choice.  PHP has a very
simple C/Perl/Java style syntax and can be quite fast (especially when
combined with a number of the commercial acceleration products).  For
very light weight solutions this may work well, as it has support for
a wide variety of technologies (from graphic generation to networking)
and does not require the same startup cost as a Java based solution.
Comparatively speaking, PHP tends to be closer to what JSP is from the
Java world, a lightweight scripting environment that supports some
heavyweight capabilities.

Other choices include Perl, and the M$ .NET crew (through the use of
Mono).  I caution against using Perl, as it is still entirely too easy
to create unmaintainable and insecure code (yes, this is true with all
languages, but Perl tends to breed more of it than most with its
optionally obfuscated syntax).  However, if you are very comfortable
with Perl it comes with a vide variety of modules that support web
development and interfaces with just about anything out there.

For the M$ .NET crew out there, there is always the choice of C# and
Mono, both of which are still works in progress.  I haven't done a lot
of playing around with Mono so I can't attest to its stability, but
I'm in the process of writing some sample applications to evaluate its
worthiness.

These choices are largely one of personal taste, vendor selection,
budget, and skill.  Make sure you invest an appropriate amount of time
in a platform decision to ensure that you don't regret your decision
later.

|  Is there a free program/utility that helps publish a site

There are a number of these already discussed in other threads.

-Robert Gash
Engineer, Enkia Corporation
gashalot at gashalot.com

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