tips appreciated

[miyabita]

I run a website design company focused on people who just need a simple site. I am still working on learning all of the "harder" languages like PHP, etc., and that will probably have to wait for a while since I am actually going to school to become a geneticist. The website design company I run is basically just to pull in some money for myself without having to work outside the home. I don't HAVE to have any extra income to survive, so if it fails, I have already covered my costs, so at worst I will break even and will just have to watch the budget closely. However, it would be nice to be able to keep it running for a little extra spending cash here and there.

What I am wondering is if there are any good, easy-to-understand tutorials for learning other languages and for graphics design. What, if any, special equipment will I need for these other languages?

I have Dreamweaver and FrontPage (though I never use these because I prefer to learn all the coding myself and just do it that way), Adobe Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, Animation Shop 3, and Flash MX. I am pretty familiar with Paint Shop Pro and Animation Shop 3 because I have had them for a few years before I started designing websites for others, but the rest are new additions. FrontPage was given to me by a university branch I did a website for because their main site that gives the branches webspace and hosting only allows sites to be uploaded via Frontpage rather than via regular FTP. That was the one and only time I used Frontpage. Dreamweaver along with Flash MX I got from a friend of a friend who no longer needed it. He had been doing the same thing as I am; doing websites until he got his degree in something else, so that was another program I did not have to pay for. However, I have no idea how to use them, and I am having a hard time following the tutorials from the Flash program. I konw how to place things where, but I have no idea still how to turn it into actual Flash content.

Photoshop is a very recent aquisition and I am starting to get the hang of it, but still have a lot to learn. Mostly I use Paintshop Pro for most of the image and use Photoshop for the things I cannot or do not want to do on Paintshop.

[mikmik]

Here is a good site for Flash and PhotoShop tutorials:
http://www.tutorialoutpost.com/

This is one of my favourite sites, they have lots of Dreamweaver tutorials, Fireworks, Flash, PhotoShop and Elements, Powerpoint:
http://www.cbtcafe.com/index.htm

quick CSS tutorials

3 Steps To Writing JavaScript

For learning php/MySQL, cgi/perl, and SSI, I installed a server. This is needed to 'parse' these languages and serve them to your browser. IE and all browsers do not read and process these languages on their own.

I have tried a few, but I like Foxserv the best. It installs all these capabilities with an Apache server - all configured and ready to go.
Then I set up my DreamWeaver to 'Server Model - PHP SQL' and access to 'Local'

You can download FoxServ from here Foxserv

Here is the 'central page': http://www.foxserv.net/

Many people have recommended this package to me. It has the same as FoxServ:
http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html,
and after looking just now, I think I will try it. Looks even easier to use!

This is a good site for tutorials on php - codewalkers - and this is the one I am going to start:Create dynamic sites with PHP & MySQL

This tutorial shows you how to use two open source, cross-platform tools for creating a dynamic Web site: PHP and MySQL. When we are finished, you will know how dynamic sites work and how they serve the content, and you will be ready to serve your own dynamic content from your site.

I am sure there are many people with more good suggestions around. I am just learning most of this and am self taught also. I am always ready if you have more questions.

Counting fruit flies in first year labs sound like no fun, but is good field to be in, yes?

[mikmik]

I don't know when they got the popups at this site, but it is good, nevertheless, for some designing links:
http://desktoppublishing.com/design.html

This is a great site, here is the links for web design resources
http://www.wpdfd.com/resources/Beginners.htm

User Interface : time-tripper

[jomariet]

Depending on what version Dreamweaver you have, you may have access to the developer's version of ColdFusion. I'm finding it very accessible and easy to integrate with DW. The downside is you need a CF host.

JM

http://www.crucibledesigns.com
http://www.akalt.net