DisOpinionated

Disopinionated

In a sense, a protocol is like a fine wine, older is better. It is easy to fall into the trap of the new and shiny. We are conditioned to believe that the new is always beter, but often it is the well seasoned, timeless forms that yield the best results.

On the web, this idea is more true than ever. Your website should be built with the simplest possible technology that meets your needs. This avoids expensive rewrites because a bug was found in the "framework" used to build it. Your site should rely on classic, well trusted design principles and protocols.

Simple is Smart

Keeping things as simple as possible has advantages. It lasts a long time. The websites I build should work just as well 20 years from now as they do when you take delivery. I keep things simple by using a well defined "stack" of protocols and languages. The stack I use is HTML/CSS/JS on the front end and Python/Flask with a database on the back end. The front end part of this site is written using only the HTML/CSS/JS part of the stack. It is simple.

Code Ownership

Some web developers try to lock you into monthly payments. They often recommend features that are complex or include features that you don't need. Features like a contact form require a backend and monthly payments. For most sites it is better to simply list your businesses address and phone number in the HTML. No backend and no monthly payments.

When hire me to build a website, you own the finished product including all the code. When you take delivery of a simple/static site we are done. You can take the code to someone else for maintenance or rebuilding. Complex sites may require some periodic maintenance, but even with complex sites, you own the code and I can can help you with things like migration or access for any developer you choose. Details about these items will provided when you take delivery.

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Simplicity

The simplest sites are the least expensive. They use templates to create a rich visual experience for your content. The goal for these sites is to tell the story of your business and provide your contact information.

They are considered simple(sometimes called static sites) because they do not take in any data to store or manipulate. They also do not have many custom features requiring extensive coding.

Templates

A sample of templates are listed below. They can be built with your content for about $100 per page. You can customize these templates with your own images, type styles and colors. You can also add lists and headings that make your content easier to read.

All of the sites I build are both accessible and responsive meaning that they work well with screen readers for the visually impaired as well as mobile devices.

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Complex Websites

Complex websites have one or more of the following characteristics. They have a custom design that the developer needs to spend time implementing, or the customer has hired a designer to create a unique website and the developer has to spend time figuring out how to implement it. There is often a great deal of back and forth between the designer, customer and developer before the website is finished. The end product is often stunning.

Also included in this category are sites that have complex data needs such as backend connectivity like a user input form, extensive Java Script(JS), or extensive Cascading Style Sheets(CSS).

Because of the above, these sites a billed by the hour. I will provide an estimate and communicate with the customer on the progress. This site, for example, is based on one of my templates, but it does have some extra CSS and a little JS to glue it together. I designed it myself. I would charge a premium over a simple template site, but it wouldn't be outrageous.

Designers

The most visually appealing sites will be created by a designer. Designers have training and experience in art and graphic design and can specify colors, fonts, images, logos, layouts, effects and more. The designer will create a "wire frame" for your site that specifies all of the above for me, the developer. In short, they create the design and the developer implements it. Designers sometimes use the marketing "branding expert" to identify themselves and can provide a "branding kit" containing the above that the customer can use for other things like signage, business cards and more.

I also designed the logo myself. This is not a service that I offer. The customer will either need to hire a designer or use one of the free online logo generators.

Photographers

Hiring a photographer is another great way to make your site unique. Professional photographers have the skills, tools, training and experience to make your site stand out. Sometimes the designer and the photographer are the same person, but they can often operate separately

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Data

Data or data processing is best explained by example. If you run a business with some spreadsheets, but maintaining those spreadsheets is getting more complex and time consuming, then data processing could be a solution for you. I can bridge the gap between large solution providers that are expensive and might not have the support for the industry you are in and spreadsheets.

I can automate the process of extracting data from a spreadsheet, doing some complex processing on the data and then returning the data that can then be imported back to a spreadsheet or displayed on a web page. Displaying the data on a web page on your intranet(not on the public internet), has the advantage of being available on mobile devices or on your production floor without having to buy licenses for spreadsheets.

There are many ways to accomplish this and I have the ability to work with your existing staff and IT contractors help you arrive at a solution that can save you time and money as well as drive production efficiencies.

Tech Stack

A complex website often has two parts that work together to create the finished product. First is the front end. It is the part that you see, the layout, colors, images and text that are visible through the browser. The base technologies for the front end are HTML and CSS. JS is often used to create added visual interest and choose which text to display. JS allows the developer interact with the front-end in complex ways. The key idea to know is that all of the work on the front-end is done by the users computer. Data is only retrieved from the server through HTML files, very little data processing is done. The front-end is for displaying data. It is in "front" of the user.

If the site uses or manipulates data provided by the user or stores data for future use, then a back-end it needed. The combination of the two is called the "full stack". Back-end technologies reside on the server and retrieve data from the front-end and store or manipulate the data in some way. The Python programming language is very good for data manipulation while a database is most often used to store data. Most of the time an intermediary framework is used to mediate between the database and the data manipulation parts of the back-end. The framework I use most often is Flask. Doing the data manipulation and storage on the back-end has the advantages of security and gives the ability to share the data with other users, applications or processes.

There are other ways to process and display data but they are not web technologies and are beyond the scope of this discussion. Other "stacks" are available, but the one listed above is one of the simplest and most reliable.

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Example

The following is an example of the data processing that I can provide. The site is a work order tracking site. It is stand alone and free to use. It is under the MIT license as free and open source software. More information about this software can be found on my github site.

Click on the image below to access the software.

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Ready to Talk?

If you are considering buying, then the first step is to set up appointment, so we can discuss your needs.

Consultations are free and I would enjoy discussing the project with you. No project is too small and I can help you figure out what you need. I don't consider these discussions a selling opportunity, but rather an opportunity to get to know each other. If you need something other than what I can deliver, then I will tell you. No harm done. If you are in the Reno/Sparks area, then we can meet in person at the your choice of place, otherwise we can set up a Zoom call. I look forward to hearing from you.

Please contact me at disopinionated@mail.com

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