challenging question:how can i know what programming has gone into a site?

so my start-up is looking to hire a web developer from a graduate agency, only, i don't know much about web programming languages...

seen quotes like these on sites hiring developers:

"XHTML, CSS and JavaScript skills and the ability to learn new concepts and technologies in their sleep. We like using XML, XML-RPC, AJAX and web 2.0 APIs.

Technical skills: Expert level HTML, CSS and Flash animation; intermediate level ASP.Net, SQL, Javascript, Actionscript, XML, email campaign development and execution; knowledge of video en

We haven't even got a CMS.

Bonus skills include, previous work with Internet mapping APIs, application of XML/XSLT."


but not sure what half of these mean.

We need to know what skills to advertise for....

so if i were looking around sites with, for instance, certain ways of using user generated content...and we'd like to use those as examples of how we could develop our own site....is there any way i can know what skills have been used to create certain parts???

cheers,

David

 

well if you like then you could post an example site and I could tell you what language it could have been made in and most probably was.

An expert knowledge of XHTML/CSS is a must have if your looking for someone. But even then if thats all they know it will just be a static site. For an easier to update site driven by a database you would be looking for php/MYSQL, asp.net or coldfusion to say a few languages it could be done with.

 

twistedspikes is correct, a wide array of languages would probably be necessary for a fairly complex script. My advice would be to just go to the buy, sell, and trade section, say you are looking for a programmer and give detailed instructions on what you want it to do. Those that can do will probably recommend a language. I would imagine you will need HTML, CSS, and PHP, with a MySQL database but it really just depends on what you want to do.

 

thanks for the advice so far

i'm looking at the moment at www.threadless.com's way of holding projects in a user commented quarantine and later sending them live, and www.hugg.com's way of allowing registered users to post their own news and click for importance...

 

Well, there's your first mistake... You only want someone dumb enough to fall for a scam - good going.

Even though you came to the right place - check out the SEO section, for every decent coder there are at least a hundred scam artists who could probably recommend a nube to rape.

 

scam artists?
not sure i get what you mean here, you mean graduates aren't dumb enough to be scammed?...

um, scammed into what?

 

Are you looking to employ someone permanently or is this simply to do a single project for you?

If it is a project then ignore all that rubbish and simply say what you want it to do and let them suggest the technologies as that should be part of their service to you.... you dont go to your brain surgeon and tell them how to do your lobotomy do you?

If you are looking to take on an employee without knowing anything about the technologies yourself then you are going down a very uncomfortable road but if you must then you need to decide what sort of expert you want (front end, back end or flash) or if you want to hire a jack of all trades that will probably be "ok" at everything but not great at anything