The Struggle with Website Tools
About the problems webmasters have with website development - and the solution.
Webmaster support forums and message boards are full of users trying to install and customize Perl or PHP scripts. Most of them struggle with at least one step of the installation process.
Some of the scripts have no (useful) documentation. Others simply can't get to work with the server environment. Another fraction of scripts have loads of features that make the configuration complex and time-consuming. And most of the scripts don't feature template files to customize the layout so that it matches with the Web site's layout. Since nobody and nothing is perfect, it is expected that users, especially the inexperienced ones, run into problems. Good for them, if the script developers provide support.
Another crucial point is the licensing and pricing issue. Scripts that can be used for free are often written by coding beginners and the quality level is very low. High quality scripts, in turn, are often expensive and overloaded with features.
While aware of these issues, the object of STADTAUS.com (http://www.stadtaus.com/) is to develop and provide PHP scripts that are easy to install and configure. The scripts are fully customizable to fit the layout of the Web site. All scripts can be downloaded and used for free and without registration. Only a small link back to the project is requested, unless the user pays a fair license fee. And finally, STADTAUS.com provides a support forum where all users are guided through the installation process.
About the author: The author is a freelance software developer and web designer (http://www.stadtaus.com/).
