Hello, I own a tutorial directory that I would like to "bring into the 21st century". Basically, Ive let the website decay, and I would like to start working on it again and make it the go-to place for tutorials. I know this will be very difficult, but im willing to put in the time, money, and effort. First of all, what I want to know is which scripting language would be best for a tutorial directory? My host currently supports PHP, MySQL, RoR, and Javascript. Secondly, the system im using right now is an updated version of tutorialms (a tutorial management system). It works perfectly fine now, it just doesnt have as many features as the other directories have. I am wondering if I should stick to this system and just hire people to add more functionality to the script. I would think this would be easy, as even I can understand the PHP & MySQL used. Lastly, if PHP & MySQL are chosen, would it be best for me to continue using the cms and hire people to add onto it, or should I hire someone to custom-script everything? So, the question is, should I use the cms im currently using and pay people to add onto it, or should I have somebody custom script something custom, and what language would be best? Naturally, I would like to go with the most economic option. Thanks for your help!
If the current system is well designed (software design not graphic design) and can easily be extended, I would recommend using the existing platform and extend as needed. It is built on the LAMP stack and finding economic hosting and development resources is easy. However, if the script is a bowl of spaghetti (code that is) and is difficult to maintain or extend then I would recommend a re-write. I would stay with the LAMP stack, but recommend a minimum of PHP 5.x and MySQL 5.x as the others have passed their end-of-life support.
I would stick with PHP / mySQL / Linux system mainly because of the open source applications that are available.
I believe it is pretty well built, but I cant just go on my word since im not a developer. Has anyone used tutorialms.com? If so, please comment on how well the code for this is.
Personally, I prefer use of PHP so a good tutorial site on PHP would be interesting to me. If your existing CMS is anywhere near usable, stick with it rather than go through the hassle of getting someone to understand what you need.