Rules for online application development

Internet is one of the fastest moving media in the world and therefore its highly complicated to follow the changes. When you decide to start a new big on line project and willing to spend money in it, you have to be very careful. Trends passes so fast and development require a lot of time. Therefore here are some rules, that applies to everyone.

When building an on line application, time is the most relevant issue, the faster you are out and ready the more chances you have to success, the less money you spend on development the more you have for advertising and promotion. So here are some rules.

Rule 1 – Work on modular systems, that each elements can be created separately. Never build an application that will collapse completely due to a single bug. (actually i mean use php rather then asp).

Rule 2 – never develop what has already been developed – If you are going to start a new project first take a look around, if this thing has been done before, if it was then there is a good (90%) chance that someone made it available for free. Go to the www.sourceforge.net and search for it. Source forge is a website that provide a home for all the GNU, GPL (open sources projects). Remember these project may be in a stage of beta and sometimes even alfa, but then the basic codes are already done and it will save you plenty of time.

Rule 3 – Never buy what you can get for free – if you can find an open source codes, do it... even though it may not be completed and some bugs will appear it will still cost you much less to fix it rather then to ask the vendor support.

When I built my Business community website ( www.pmbcom.com ) I spent a week on testing available application, then from those I selected, I picked those that will be more flexible, and then within another weeks, I modified what I needed and added what is missing, the cost was 3 weeks of work... and thats it. Working as a consultant to other website that insist on developing their own application, I can tell you that the first attempt took them 6 months. Released full of bugs and was too late... and now they are spending 3 more months already rebuilding it and preparing a complete spin.