

Ask HN: Non-technical person seeking help learning how to make weekend project - jmjerlecki

Please don't mistake this for the "looking for a developer to work for equity (i.e. free) to help me build the next billion dollar idea." This isn't what I am asking.<p>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.<p>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.<p>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.<p>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.<p>I have enjoyed being a part of this community and thanks in advance for anyone who helps or posts!
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draz
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.

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iamsidd2k7
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.

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jmjerlecki
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?

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iamsidd2k7
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.

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beatpanda
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.

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jmjerlecki
Clicakble: <http://textsfromlastnight.com/>

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EricR23
Drupal sounds like a great fit for what you're looking for.

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tritogeneia
Seconded.

