Building a web site for a project. Where to start?

Yasmina Chitti

Artificial Intelligence Center, SRI International

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Date:  Thursday September 24, 2009 at 16:00

Location:  EJ228 (SRI E building)  (Directions)

Today’s web technology is evolving so fast that it is hard to keep up. Server-side scripts and frameworks come and go, and sometimes they stay. Hey, I know how to write HTML, can I still just write HTML? Why don’t I make my whole site a Flash site? What if I just want people to download my software, do I still have to care about the page design and which language I use to write it? I heard AJAX is hot? Do I need to do any AJAX? Do I need server-side applications? Where do I start? I will address the fundamental questions that one has to ask before starting a web site. I will give an example of building a very simple, yet user friendly site to allow software downloads with user registration and FAQ capabilities.

Yasmina Chitti is both a web system architect and a web application developer.

For many years, she has not only been developing database-driven web applications but also she has been in charge of installing and configuring web servers and integrating everything with off-the-shelf web applications (wiki, FAQ, blogs,...). She has a strong interest in new web technologies that are emerging faster and faster. She has an acute awareness of aesthetics and user experience.

She is a member of the Apple Developers Connection, PayPal Developer Central, Yahoo Developer Network, and of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals.

Please arrive at least 10 minutes early in order to sign in and be escorted to the conference room. SRI is located at 333 Ravenswood Avenue in Menlo Park. Visitors may park in the visitors lot in front of Building E, and should follow the instructions by the lobby phone to be escorted to the meeting room. Detailed directions to SRI, as well as maps, are available from the Visiting AIC web page.