Web development
Java
PHP
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
CSS is designed primarily to enable the separation of document content (written in HTML or a similar markup language) from document presentation, including elements such as the
layout,
colors, and
fonts. This separation can improve content
accessibility, provide more flexibility and control in the specification of presentation characteristics, enable multiple pages to share formatting, and reduce complexity and repetition in the structural content (such as by allowing for
tableless web design). CSS can also allow the same markup page to be presented in different styles for different rendering methods, such as on-screen, in print, by voice (when read out by a speech-based browser or
screen reader) and on
Braille-based,
tactile devices. While the author of a document typically links that document to a CSS style sheet, readers can use a different style sheet, perhaps one on their own computer, to override the one the author has specified.
JavaScript
jQuery
WordPress
WordPress has, according to the Open Source CMS Market Share Report 2009
(www.cmswire.com/downloads/cms-market-share), become the most popular blog—and content
management—system in the world. It is a flexible system that can be used to create sites for businesses,
project collaborations, university departments, artist portfolios, and (of course!) personal or group blogs.
It requires only PHP and a MySQL database, and it can run on Apache or IIS web servers.But what is it, and why would you use it?
Why WordPress?
WordPress is one of many PHP/MySQL content management systems that allow content editors to use a
web interface to maintain their sites instead of editing and uploading HTML files to a server. Some
systems, like Movable Type and Text pattern, have reputations as good blogging platforms. Others such
as Joomla, Drupal, and Expression Engine are more commonly associated with commercial or
community sites.
WordPress began as a blogging tool, but early on the developers added pages as a separate content
type. This opened the door for people who didn’t want a blog, but did want an easy, web-based interface
to create and manage web content. (And if they later decided they needed a blog after all, the world’s
best was just one menu click away!) Since then, the page features have evolved. Whether WordPress acts
a blogging tool or a true content management system, then, depends on which content you choose to
emphasize in your site.
Despite its flexibility as a simple content management system, and despite winning the Overall Best
Open Source CMS Award at the 2009 Open Source CMS Awards, WordPress is still widely considered to
be a blogging tool. So why would you choose WordPress over a more traditional CMS?