[msbigtoe]

I am looking to build website that will allow different users to sign on (using individual username and password) and enter 10-15 pieces of numerical data. The individual user’s data will need to go into a database with the data from all the other users. Each user will then be able to retrieve maybe 20 different basic graphs with one data set on the X axis and another data set on the Y axis. Ideally I would like the graph to indicate, with a line or arrow or something, where the individual’s data is on each graph. I approximate about 2,000 users entering data in this site.

Does anybody out there know how hard a site like this would be to build? Is it something an amateur, with little web making experience could do with a web building program, or would a professional be needed? If the later, anybody have a good guess how much such a site would cost to get built. Thanks to all that take the time to reply.

This post has been edited by msbigtoe: 07 February 2009 - 05:40 PM

[sdo]

Hey,

Personally, I am no more than some guy who took a single HTML course in grade 10.

And yet, I have managed to produce 2 good quality websites that have a relatively high level of functionality.

You can check them out: here and here.

The second site has a login section for employees, and all of their data and login information is managed using Databases and PHP. None of this stuff is difficult to learn or implement provided you are efficient at using google.

I am seriously believing more and more that the differences between what you know and what you don't are almost nonexistent. I mean, though I may not know exactly what a relational database is this very second, I COULD know 30 seconds from now by looking it up. I like to think that I know just about everything, the only difference is, when I need to use that knowledge, I look on the internet instead of my brain.

Sorry, I'm digressing. Answer: NO, there is no need to spend any money on a useless professional, you are a human being and as such have considerable potential. You will have no problem learning and implementing everything that you mentioned in as little as a few weeks.

Sounds like you have an interesting idea, good luck with it!

SDO

This post has been edited by sdo: 07 February 2009 - 08:23 PM

[William_Wilson]

A couple weeks of tutorials on php or another server side language and database software, such as mysql and you would be well on your way. Making the site look exactly as you want may be the hardest part, personally I am never satisfied with any web dev I do, I always tinker with it for months afterwards

A firm grasp of html and css will of course be useful.

[Rezert]

Freelancers rip people off. I want to become a freelancer because I've seen freelancers ask for a lot of money for simple websites. I could do it apart from the fact that I'm 13.

Now if I'm understanding what you're saying correctly, you would be using PHP + MySQL + GD Library. The PHP will be doing all the dynamic work while MySQL will be holding the data such as user info and graphs. GD Library will be generating the graphs.

If you can't do that, learn how. This would be a great way to learn. Don't get someone to do it for you.

[bstonehill]

msbigtoe, on 7 Feb, 2009 - 07:38 PM, said:

I am looking to build website that will allow different users to sign on (using individual username and password) and enter 10-15 pieces of numerical data. The individual user’s data will need to go into a database with the data from all the other users. Each user will then be able to retrieve maybe 20 different basic graphs with one data set on the X axis and another data set on the Y axis. Ideally I would like the graph to indicate, with a line or arrow or something, where the individual’s data is on each graph. I approximate about 2,000 users entering data in this site.

Does anybody out there know how hard a site like this would be to build? Is it something an amateur, with little web making experience could do with a web building program, or would a professional be needed? If the later, anybody have a good guess how much such a site would cost to get built. Thanks to all that take the time to reply.

I would agree with the previous posts. What you want to do all sounds fairly basic and you could probably learn how in a few weeks. At a minimum you'll need to know HTML, PHP, and MySQL, but I would also strongly recommend Javascript. The hardest and most time consuming part for me is usually the graphic design and layout.

Here are some really good websites I used to learn:
www.tizag.com
www.w3schools.com

Good Luck!

[neit]

If you can do it yourself and have the time to do it then fine.
If not and you require someone to do it for you arrange what is to delivered and for what price.

People here seem to forget that freelancer developers have to include
a lot of chargers when they do their work.

Going rate for a web-developer in the uk would be about least £20 an hour
if you are employed by a company. When these companies tender for work their prices have to include:

1) Number of hours of work
2) Purchase of any hardware
3) Electricity
4) Other admin workers (secretary etc..)
5) Any transport costs involved in travelling to client site
6) Purchase of any software
7) Profit (or whats the point in doing it)
8) Vat is added on also

These are just a small number of things companies need to take into consideration when tendering for work. A freelancer developer also needs to consider these, as it some point it will not feasible for a freelancer
to do the work and they would be losing money.


Basiclly you will need to determine will it be worth your time and money
to do it yourself or will it be cheaper and faster to get someone in to do it.

A cms management app like joomla could possibly be used, it covers the whole authentication side, add the juni extension which allows you to create your own pages (you will still need to learn php. mysql, html, css) and include then into joomla. It will need a bit of configuration and will need to edit the mysql tables to add your own data but it could be done, but again you would need to decide if this out
weighs building from scratch or getting someone to do it for you.

[ValPaliy]

Use a content management system, like Drupal or Joomla!

[BenignDesign]

As a professional developer, I would advise you to steer clear of things like Joomla and Drupal until you have enough experience and knowledge with the languages used to make the modifications you want.

I have used these systems for clients in the past and I find it infinitely easier to build a CMS from scratch than to dig through thousands of lines of someone else's code to find the one tiny thing I want to change.

But overall, what you are looking to accomplish shouldn't be horribly difficult, but it's not something you'll accomplish in two days with no coding experience. I think if you were to hit some tutorial sites and practice the basics a bit, you could accomplish this without hiring from the outside, but as the others said, if you don't have the time to learn it yourself, you'll have to contract out.

And freelancers don't always rip people off. When I did freelance full-time, I worked for peanuts because I felt bad charging thousands of dollars for something I could do in a matter of hours. Now I work full-time for a company that charges through the nose but pays me in peanuts Regardless, the point is you CAN find very affordable freelancers, you just have to look around.

[gregwhitworth]

Freelancers usually lack one great skill - the ever present 'returning of phone calls.' Nine times out of ten when a new client comes to me (after using a free lancer) - they don't balk at the charge because they know they can call me any day of the week and I WILL return their phone calls and solve their problems. I've had mutliple clients complain that their freelancers haven't called them for weeks.

Unfortunately when you hire a free lancer you may get a discount, but you are asking someone to do work WHEN they have free time - and there lies your problem.

DISCLAIMER: I am not saying that all freelancers do this - this is just what I have seen in my years in the industry.

[AfterBurner66]

msbigtoe, on 7 Feb, 2009 - 04:38 PM, said:

I am looking to build website that will allow different users to sign on (using individual username and password) and enter 10-15 pieces of numerical data. The individual user’s data will need to go into a database with the data from all the other users. Each user will then be able to retrieve maybe 20 different basic graphs with one data set on the X axis and another data set on the Y axis. Ideally I would like the graph to indicate, with a line or arrow or something, where the individual’s data is on each graph. I approximate about 2,000 users entering data in this site.

Does anybody out there know how hard a site like this would be to build? Is it something an amateur, with little web making experience could do with a web building program, or would a professional be needed? If the later, anybody have a good guess how much such a site would cost to get built. Thanks to all that take the time to reply.

As far as my knowledge and experience can reach, I absolutely agree to all previous opinions about the fact, that you can (relatively) easily do the thing you want on your own, given that you have the basic knowledge to create some scaffolding for your site,make some server side code and set up a db to do dynamic thing/storage.But if you have absolutely no idea about these, it'll take some time to grasp all these, so if you're in a hurry, it maybe better to hire someone to do the job.As for freelancers, I am not so "absolute", about what they can do/what they can't and in how much time.I simply think that in every kind or level of some profession, there are good and bad people.So, all you have to do is to do a careful search and above all, not to give whatever money you may be requested to;just do a market search first.
I also want to make some comment about what sdo said.Ok, it is a great advantage and great thing, to have the will to know about everything in the web development world, but things are in no way, like "Ok, I don't know what a relational db is,I'll learn the whole thing in 30 seconds...".To reach even half of the thing about relational databases, someone has to spend literally years, and the whole thing, I just don't know if, even Codd, or some other great person like him ( and I mean this ), had even touch it. The same holds true for programming( and I mean real programming, not just occasional scripting ). I don't mean in any way to insult sdo or anyone, is just my humble opinion, and I say this first to myself everyday:"You've got a lot to learn, so find spare time...". If someone can spend time, to study books, material found on the web, and do continuous practicing, it is more than sure that some day he'll get really,really good and well-paid. Gaining knowledge and experience in general topics like programming languages, software engineering, databases can be the key for someone to go high;on the other side, if someone just tailors some premade code in some scripts, gets some "ready-to-go" models for his databases, about which their efficiency is on debate, and see the whole thing like "just steal code from somewhere or mimic x or y", can't go too far.

This post has been edited by AfterBurner66: 17 February 2009 - 05:10 PM