Do you outsource some of your coding?

[Makaveli2007]

Does anyone of you outsource their dynamic coding (PHP/mySQL)? I'm usually the type of person who wants to learn and do stuff himself, but if I only want to create 2 small tools for a site (that would really only require basic php/mySQL I think)..and maybe a couple more such tools for future ideas, I'm wondering if it really makes sense to learn it myself.

Can stuff like this be outsourced to say college kids (funny as Im in college myself!;)). I guess cheap would be an issue if you need something like a forum which can pose safety issues, but if we're talking about a small tool or two, I guess there really are none.

Do you outsource your dynamic coding, in case you didnt come from a programming background?

P.S.: to me it's really all a matter of ROI. I think knowing how to create and design my own sites is important so I'm learning this, but Im wondering if learning php/mySQL for such a rather minor purpose would be wasted opportunity cost.

[incrediBILL]

Are you a business owner or a programmer?

If you want to run a business, outsource it and run the business, make money.

Nothing wrong with learning to program on the side, but I wouldn't sidetrack a business and distract myself from money making opportunities. Besides, if you make mistakes you'll be spending endless hours bug hunting which can be a nightmare for a novice.

What do you know about programming MySQL for optimum performance?

Worse yet, what do you know about programming a site for security?

Will your code allow cross-site scripting vulnerabilities just because you don't know how to stop them?

Since you've never done MySQL before, will your code allow a SQL injection vulnerability just because you don't know how to stop them either?
[webmasterworld.com...]

You have to know when it's the right time to DIY and know when it's the right time to let someone with the right skills step in and do the job right the first time.

I've only been programming 28+ years and even I outsource some things when it's outside of my expertise.

[edited by: incrediBILL at 8:48 pm (utc) on Dec. 9, 2007]

[Makaveli2007]

Hi, actually Im a college student (a business major). Ive been learning about SEO, (internet) marketing and web analytics..which is the field I basically want to work in. Making websites more efficient and improving ROI so to speak.

I only started college and am starting to create my own sites (right now just 1 site).

I know that for some stuff there would be security issues if somebody whos not very good coded it. For example if I tried learning how to code a forum from scratch (instead of implementing one) or creating surveys myself...or client log-ins,...

But I'm talking about small tools. A (rather pathetic lol) example would be a tool (downloadable one) that allows people to type in foreign language vocabulary and save it. Then they'd get asked the vocabulary and would have to answer it correctly. They should be able to set the answer time to 5, 10 or 15 seconds (or so). Maybe I'd prefer the vocabulary they're asked to be randomly, maybe those they didn't know the last few times should get favored over those they always know. That's what I had in mind. Small tools.

I was thinking such tools didn't pose any safety issues, because there's no particular data stored and should be not too hard to create?

On the other hand, I thought something that probably requires fairly basic coding like that should be rather cheap to outsource to college students for example (maybe Im underestimating how easy/difficult this would be?) and I shouldnt spend my time learning about it.

Outsource? learn myself?:-)

[incrediBILL]

If you're just learning, DO IT!

However, look up how to stop cross-site scripting and SQL injection because anywhere you can type into a form is completely vulnerable to various attacks and they're simple to stop, usually 1-2 lines of code max.

[Makaveli2007]

thanks, but Im starting to like the thought of outsourcing this, I must admit. So if I can find a way to get it done by somebody else for not too expensive (not more expensive than the links I gain/value to my users it creates :-)) then I think I'll try it that way first.

Thanks for the advice about the form, though. None of the tools I'm thinking of would require a form, I think, but of course I'll be looking to implement PHP (surveys/forms) in general at some point in time, so it's good I know how vulnerable forms are, now and that it can be stopped easily.

[limoshawn]

If you're only looking for "piece work" and you're confident that you can describe what you need the code or script to do, you can find coders online that will bid on your job. Most of the time you can get what you need for a reasonable price. We use rent-a-coder and have been happy with them so far.

[Tonearm]

I suggest you find your self a framework to work within. I highly recommend Interchange (icdevgroup.org) and I think Ruby on Rails uses a similar concept. That will go a long way toward helping with security. Both mentioned projects are open source and free.

[ecommerceprofit]

If you are just starting college take the time to learn how to program in PHP, C, etc. - outsourcing sucks - most programmers I have dealt with are very cool but slow and hard to deal with when it comes to biz - if you learn to program you will be among the select few...take the time and learn this!