Definition:
The term web development is used to describe formation of web site for internet use – World Wide Web – and also private network (intranet). The main components of web development include; web content development, web design, scripting, network security, e-commerce, web server amongst others. According to web experts, the term web development also entails mostly non design factors of web site building like coding and writing mark up. Web development can be a simple activity like coming up with a single web page comprising of a single page with only plain text. Alternatively it can be a complex affair where it involves mega internet applications, social network activities as well as e-business.
Origins of web development:
Web development took off from around the mid 1990’s as a small industry, but it has now grown to become one of the fastest growing in the world. As of 1995 there were less than one thousand web development firms in the United States but a decade later (2005) the figure numbered well over thirty thousands and is still growing. This growth has been necessitated by some factors, some of which are outlined below;
- The reduction in the overall cost of web development, while in the past it could have cost you an arm and a leg to develop a website, this cost has come down. Today you can even own a simple web site for free.
- The cost of web hosting has also gone down which means more companies and people are now able to afford maintain a web site.
- Web development has also benefited from the dramatic automation of business and other activity. The “online revolution” that has taken over the world has made it a boon for this industry.
- There are also quality systems and tools that aid in web development, these are; PHP, Linux, MySQL and Apache. The good news is that these tools are at your disposal free of charge.
- Another prominent contributor to its popularity is the web development software, the most known being; Adobe, Dreamweaver, Microsoft Expression Studio, WebDev, Netbeans and Adobe Flex. These software have the advantage of being user friendly and with their help you can develop a web site in a matter of minutes.
- Web development has also been propelled by the availability of quality training in the business. Unlike in the recent past when there was lack of specialized training, today most universities and other institutions take the subject seriously.