You are an awesome programmer and I have known many.
Mack Blakely
Executive Director
National Electronic Service Dealers Association
Fort Worth, Texas
Some businesses need little more than a web presence: a description of their services, a listing of their
staff or product lines, and contact information. In the trade, this is called "brocureware", and does not take full advantage of
the many possibilities of the Internet.
Many businesses, however, do not have a choice: they must have such features as client logins, database searches, pages generated
with dynamic content, detailed form submission, statistics reporting, purchases by credit card, and other features. This is where application development
comes into play.
Many small businesses opt for an "ala carte" method, where one free software program handles one task, another free program handles,
some other task, etc., and Paypal handles the credit cards. This approach is seldom satisfactory long term, and is somewhat like using
duct tape on a radiator. Eventually, a more comprehensive solution is needed, and by that time, it usually costs more to implement.
At Apptech, we build custom website applications in PHP, in a modular way. When possible, we use small, prebuilt modules, or re-use
PHP modules or objects from our library, or developed as part of another application. Why reinvent the wheel? This modular design
allows us to add new functionality later, as it become necessary, without breaking existing code.
Be advised, however, that for anything larger than a simple form mailer, it will often be necessary to first develop
- A requirements document
- A list of functions
- A specification
After all, you can't build a house without a blueprint. More to the point, your builder doesn't appreciate, halfway through
construction, your request to move the fireplace, and add another bathroom upstairs. Nor do we. This process allows us
to develop a fair cost proposal for you. Technology is not cheap, and you don't want the price changing by 30% because
you
"just thought of something else".
Typical projects: database programming. E-commerce, job boards, membership functions, online testing, MLS searches, shadow processing.
