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When I first started in this business back in 2001, I had numerous questions about exactly how to set up a website. Turned out, that was only the beginning of my questions. You could look at numerous design and programming books but still need more direction because of career choices out there.
Fast-forward 16 years to the age of the smartphone, and literally every question asked nowdays has very little reference to those I asked many years ago. The discussion today might pertain in every right to a native app without so much as even mentioning a typical website. Instead of PHP you might hear Kotlin, or even more conversely — JavaScript instead of Java. User experience plays a major part of anything to do with creating and building a good website, web app or native app, and a host of front-end tasks need attending. Complicate that with the fact that JavaScript is now server side, via node.js, and one can get by sometime with just scratching his head and wondering how, why and so forth JavaScript ever became so popular. Ah, the historians will do quite fine I imagine.
Let’s take a look at some books to get you going in your pursuit toward building your church’s website, and why not check out some helpful tips on maintaining your church’s website. We’ll cover some basics and dig in. All are good investments, thoroughly vetted by veterans and newbies alike, and have proven themselves helpful to any diligent learner in need of a valuable resource.
Javascript basics
First priority: get a good book on JavaScript because you’ll need to refer to it often. Whether you proceed toward server-side JavaScript or just need it as part of your jQuery background, you’ll definitely benefit from studying it.
For CSS, check out CSS Reference io
For HTML5, check out HTML Reference io
Kotlin programming, for Android app development
It would be wise to not ignore the 800 pound elephant in the room. Android, now running on easily a billion devices and gaining momentum and market share from Apple at every turn, is a force to be reckoned with. Android’s programming backbone was Java in several past iterations, but in 2017 Google and Android made Kotlin the first class language for Android development. There are tons of benefits in using Kotlin, and its compatibility with existing Java structures is foremost.
WordPress is your self-contained website solution
Ask anyone who’s been around about how to set up a website the fastest, and WordPress will be at the tip of their tongue. It’s a magical piece of software, and this reference list would contain one seriously huge glaring omission if it weren’t for WordPress AND WordPress, The Missing Manual. If you’ve ever read a ‘Missing Manual’ book you’ll understand how vital they are to understanding just about any topic. This book will get you up and running faster than any other book here, and you can always use the other books to polish your presentation and code later. WordPress will handle everything and get you out of the gate the fastest.
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