New Small Biz Website - Ground Zero Advice

[Hlafordlaes]

I have the mission of setting up a simple web site, initially consisting of a few pages of information for customers, and a way to get in touch with the new company if the client is interested in our services. Eventually I wish to add programmed functionality, but I want to work in stages as I develop my skills. The only "complication" of the initial site is that is must be both PC and mobile device friendly for browsing.

My plan is to follow the steps in the Ars Tecnica series on setting up a secure Ubuntu server running on a local virtual machine. I then plan to use the structure and tools provided at HTML5 Boilerplate to set up my basic pages, and modify the server configs as needed.

I have a 6MB upload (50MB download) fiber optic connection, so in principle, with low traffic and little functionality, running my own server instead of hosting it elsewhere seems doable, especially since the Ars series shows how to harden the server a bit against attacks.

I have a background in PICK OS mini-computer programming from back in the 80's (whoa!), but haven't programmed since. I think what I am wishing to accomplish shouldn't be too hard for me to learn. Once really into it, my guess is that I would prefer Python scripting over javascript, but that decision comes later.

My question to you is this: are you aware of any guidelines or alternate sources than those cited above I should check out, or am I on a decent track? For now, the mission is just to get this "flat" html site up and running with as little unnecessary hassle as possible.

Thanks in advance for any sage advice you might be able to provide.

 

[Ken g6]

I have a 6MB upload (50MB download) fiber optic connection, so in principle, with low traffic and little functionality, running my own server instead of hosting it elsewhere seems doable, especially since the Ars series shows how to harden the server a bit against attacks.

Does your internet plan allow for local servers? If you don't have business-class internet, it probably doesn't.

As for learning HTML, [post=30765660]I have a post for that[/post].

You can, eventually, use Python for the back-end. Look into something called Django. You're generally stuck with JavaScript on the client-side, though.

 

[Hlafordlaes]

Thanks! Yes, my connection is at a commercial site (restaurant, though that's not the new business.)

 

[JasonCoder]

OP, make sure you can be reached on port 80 if you wish to pursue a locally hosted solution. Honestly tho, I've yet to see a cost benefit in favor of a locally managed option for a static site.

 

[xanis]

I'd strongly recommend either Bootstrap or Foundation for a front-end framework. I personally prefer Bootstrap because it has nicer UI components and because I write my own custom responsive stuff anyway, but Foundation is a better starting point for mobile sites in my opinion. Play around with both and see which one you feel more comfortable with, and go with that.

Since you're interested in running your own server, you may want to look into an Amazon EC2 instance. It'll let you manage your own server, but it puts the burden of hardware/network management on someone else.

 

[aceO07]

I wouldn't recommend setting up an externally accessible web server on your own network unless you're experienced at it.

VPS hosting prices can be cheap ($6-8/m) and allows you to still use Ubuntu. Less to think about in terms of networking and keeping all your computers/servers/printers private.

If you screw up on the VPS, you don't expose much. Just type/click a few commands and the server can be restored to starting point (or save point if VPS supports it).