To prepackage or not to prepackage?
Being a web developer keeps getting easier by the day. Whether you’ve been doing it for years and have a huge repository of applications you’ve already made or if you’re just getting into the scene. The debate on my mind is weather most web developers out there are using pre-packaged software/content management systems for their clients or if they are still writing everything from the ground up. For the average web user the difference from one site to the next is nothing more than what it looks like. 99% of all the pre-packaged websites are skinnable which might make them convenient. In addition, most all web development projects for us main street freelancers fall into one of two categories.
- We want an online store.
- We want an online presence. (Digital Business card style)
Either way there is a CMS out there to make setup easy & updates even easier if not possible by the client themselves.
I’ve always been a “ground up” kind of developer. 100% seamless, 100% original. I know quite a few people who offer websites but just end up delivering a standard install of PHPnuke or something, which is just retarded. For that reason I’ve always avoided them.
The bottom line that brought this question up is, can I save my clients money & produce a quality product I can be proud of using a pre-package CMS? I’m going to start playing with some & see if I adopt any right off the bat. Any comments or suggestions?
Posted in Software
December 8th, 2005 at 10:45 am
Josh shame on you!
I have never known you to take the easy way out. I think that is what makes you unique and valuable. People come to you because of your experience with the whole product. It sounds to me like you will be limiting yourself and your abilities to create something needed by the general public.
Let me give you a example from my life. As you know I have built many CATV systems in my day. Both as a worker in the field and a manager in a office. I can go to every location that I have built from the ground up and be proud of it. I can not tell you one location that I did not complete from start to finish. That is not to say that there is not locations out there like that. It just means I don’t feel as good about them, they mean nothing to me. It is not 100% my work, my legacy. What are we with out a legacy to leave behind for future generations to see.
December 8th, 2005 at 10:53 am
I think Ruby on Rails might help revive my “ground up” mentality. It’s just getting mindlessly boring to type the same shit over and over and over again.