Everchanging frontpage

preprogrammed display script or random script

[webjourneyman]

I would like to program my websites so that whenever a visitor arrives he/she sees a different page on the site. Either a page would be selected at random or it would be preprogrammed to display different sites according to date.

Is it in any way worse to do this with javascript than with php or similar?
Could this type of script cause problems with surfers who have high security settings inn their browser, i.e. pauses, stalls?

Is there a danger of a random script like this slowing down the server or being undesirebla in any other way?

All helpful info much appreciated.

[Bernard Marx]

If you have it available, this is best done on the server-side PHP ¦ ASP etc.
I can't imagine quick redirection script slowing things down at all.

Done with Javascript it would require a deault page, with an instant redirection (for those enabled). It could be irritating.

[webjourneyman]

Thank you Bernard, most appreciated. I suspected it would be better done with PHP.
Am I correct in thinking that I should be able to write a simple php script to pull a different html page and display it at random or in a predesigned order according to date?
Do I need to learn PhP from scrach to manage this?

[jdancing]

Just wondering... Any benefits or negatives to doing this from an SEO standpoint?

[Bernard Marx]

webjourneyman: Do I need to learn PHP from scrach to manage this?

Well, yes, I suppose you do, but it's a very simple procedure anyway. I could knock one up for you, but you might be better off asking someone over at PHP [webmasterworld.com] - just in case there is some issue that I may be unaware of due to my PHP inexperience.

There is the issue of caching downstream from your server. You may need advice on headers.

jdancing: Any benefits or negatives to doing this from an SEO standpoint?

There Probably are effects. Not sure what though. Again, not quite my area.

[webjourneyman]

jdancing: Just wondering... Any benefits or negatives to doing this from an SEO standpoint?

Yes, I´ve thought about it myslef, what affect it would have in SE registration to have a floating index page. My hope is to make up for that by many stort and focused pages, each one level from root, or in root.

Bernard Marx: There is the issue of caching downstream from your server. You may need advice on headers

Could you clarify please, "caching downstream from your server"? Headers on the pages for the PhP script?