Please Recommend a Website Builder for Dummies = (me) (1 Viewer)

[Isaac]

Years ago, I created several very simple websites using "website builders", where you basically drag and drop extremely simple (to me it wasn't simple, but I know it is to any programmer) bits and pieces onto a page to create web pages. Of course there was some avenue to hook it up to a domain name and host some files if you wanted to pay some money, most of them were free unless you wanted to remove ads and branding, or host files, and for any domain or domain forwarding.

I'm looking for the same thing once again to build a simple website, donating my time for a nonprofit. My problem is that the "very simple website builders" have become pretty damn complicated (for me). Wix, for example, is one that I consider quite complex. It is all just a bit overwhelming. I just want to be able to drag and drop simple elements - a paragraph here, a sidebar there, a menu item here, a hyperlink here, a picture there, some text here. Including I need a widget to embed html from other sources, as those are commonly provided too, i.e. my nonprofit client has a embed code they will provide me for their Donations accepting, and for their Calendar functionality.

Can anyone suggest a good, SIMPLE website builder for a total dummy in websites (myself) ? I do appreciate if it has some modest pay options, (optional), for removing ads/branding and for helping me hook it up with a domain name, but would like the basic design-it components to be free or very very lowcost.

Like what is the opposite of Wix in complexity - think 2005-2010 or so. Are there any simple ones out there that you would recommend?

 

[Gasman]

I found WordPress easy to get on with.
You just need a host that supports it, as most do these days.

Plenty of support via Google as well.

 

[Isaac]

It almost looks like I could use Wordpress for "everything", from buying a domain to hosting, if I understand their website plans correctly.

 

[Gasman]

It almost looks like I could use Wordpress for "everything", from buying a domain to hosting, if I understand their website plans correctly.

Well, I would buy a site from whatever web host you want, then install Wordpress.
I think you would be hard pushed to find a host that does not support Wordpress. They would have an icon that you just press to install. You do not need to go to WP and download and install as you would on a PC.

 

[Edgar_]

All hosting services are roughly the same. Here's how it works, basically:
1. You buy some plan.
2. You install wordpress.
3. You install some template and plugins.
4. You modify the template.

Things in between include:
1. Making sure the plan includes being able to install wordpress
2. Making sure the plan includes a domain, otherwise you will need to buy it separately
3. Making sure the domain points to the hosting service, the hosting service usually hooks it up for you, but if you bought the domain somewhere else, you go to the admin panel of the domain registrar and add the hosting's DNS numbers
4. Making sure the plan includes SSL, otherwise you will need to install it yourself, you can do that for free, but buying it from the hosting service is easier because they will make sure it works all the time
5. Drag and drop for web things usually requires a powerful computer, keep that in mind, most wordpress builders demand a lot of CPU
6. Websites require propagation time, you may make changes that won't be visible for a while
7. Domains require propagation time, you can use dnscheker.org to see its status
8. If you plan to upload some app of yours, you have to make sure hosting allows it

I use hostinger, the website says I get a commission if I share this link. I doubt it has a discount.

I linked an Access database to the shared one from hostinger at some point, it requires to modify some php options from the hosting service, but the thing worked when I did it. They blacklisted me at the time because I had some sort of backdoor or bitcoin miner installed on my computer sending them thousands of requests to many of their ports, it was a virus in my computer, but it worked fine while it lasted.

 

[Edgar_]

I'll be creating a WordPress website in a few weeks, I could test a few plugins and let you know my findings. The occasions I tried using WordPress plugins for forms were not fun because they always seemed to charge for anything other than basic contact forms. But since most people use WordPress for websites, I guess there's gotta be something out there that's handy.

 

[Uncle Gizmo]

This looks promising:-

Site-Building Made Simple: Introducing the Public Pattern Library

When it comes to website-building, WordPress themes set your site up for success by providing stylish, preselected options for fonts, colors, and layouts. Even though themes provide the overall aes…

wordpress.com

 

[Gasman]

I only ever had a little play at it. It was not needed in the end, but you pick a template, either free or purchased. Then amend it with your text/pictures. You can switch between editing and reviewing very easily.

 

[amorosik]

Microsoft Expression Web 4, Adobe Dreamweaver

 

[GPGeorge]

I am aware of a couple of Access related websites, one of which is based on Wix, the other WordPress. You can see how successful such implementations can be.

I have also created a web app built on Blazor, with the assistance of Claude and Chatty, my AI team. That one isn't yet approved by the intended users, so I won't include the link. It wasn't easy because it requires a whole different mindset from Access development.

The advantage the commercial builders offer is the tools they provide, as in Post #7. You run on their track, of course, but it's a pretty broad track.

 

[isladogs]

Or you can be a masochist (like me!) and do it all using a text editor like Notepad ++ to create Web pages using HTML5, CSS and a scattering of PHP.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

If just looking to add content, information, then some type of CMS as WordPress is a really great way to go.

But, if you looking to build say forms, code and an applicaiton? (like moving some Access application to the web)?
Then of course a different road is required.......

And don't worry - technologies are just around the corner that will allow ease of Access use and coding, but the results will be web based --- it's coming......

R
Albert

 

[dalski]

Old thread & you're probably done now, but in case; I built several of mine handcoded < 10 years ago & yeilds far better SEO results than a templated builder/ type thing. Be careful who you buy the domain from, most of them are con merchants, need to make sure you own the domain. I used 123.reg.co.uk I think, then they changed to TSO host (brilliant service). Then they got sold to another firm. I got responses on xmas day with service in 10 mins or so. I believe Wordpress was more difficult from a SEO point of view. At one point Google prioritised MicroData with the HTML for better SEO results, I think they dropped that but this may have changed. Also secure domains (HTTPS) rank higher, think they're probably mandatory nowadays.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

To be fair, in a lot of cases, at least coming from Access land?
Often, the issue is not "general" web content, and often the issue is not SEO (search optimizing so Google can find the site).

Now, the topic here WAS in regards to building sites with content. As noted, there are a good many choices.

However, from a Access developer point of view?

I think for "keeping" Access applications alive for the longer term?

One should dabble and consider adopting a set of tools that allows one to "move" parts of a Access application to the web.

But, why this road, and why does this "suggesting" I'm making hold value?

Well, it's kind of simple.
Over the last 25 years, many companies have invested in computers. And hopefully, in that 25 years, they ALSO invested in some custom software. And given that this is a Access centric forum?
Well, then in regards to Access?

Those companies have invested a lot of money and time over the last 25 years to build up information systems. But, they are "internal" and so called "staff" facing applications.

Because those investments are now mature, then as a Access developer, you not going to find a lot of new projects anymore (or at least MUCH less then say 25 years ago when companies where just starting to adopt computers).

But, that means near EVERY company now has a lot of investment in those internal software systems, but not a lot of "external" facing software.

So, say a customer phones up a company, and wants to go ahead with their project - they are approving the quote or project.

So, now, on the internal side, some employee will fire up the Access application, and enter some information about the project (in this case, that the sale was made, and they are going ahead with the project).

But, why does the customer need to phone up the company, and have someone fire up the Access application and enter that information?
Why not let the customer hit a a company "web portal", and do that entry themselves?

Or, if a customer wants to start a new project, why phone or email the company, and that employee with a phone stuff under their shoulder do starting entering some information into that long time Access application?

Or, if a customer has approved the project and work, then why not show them the current shipping address, and again, let the customer change or enter a new shipping address? (along with shipping instructions).

In other words, selling the above ability and features is REALLY easy, and the math and numbers is "astounding".

So, for one project, they have about 100 approvals per day. In the past, the customer would phone up the company, or email them.

Internal:
sales rep would fire up Access, search/find the quote/project number. And change the status to approved.
Let' assume that that this whole process takes about 4 minutes from start to finish.
Ok, with 100 approvals per day, then that is a whopping 400 minutes of staff time and cost.
In 10 days, that is 4,000 minutes.

You mean in 10 days of using that customer web portal, we going to save a whopping 60 hours of staff time!!!!!

Same goes for having customer enter shipping address (or approving the current address). Again, each one of these "steps" or "procedures" that the staff used that internal software system and interacted with the customer?

Those are low hanging fruits and places where the company WILL WANT TO SPEND money doing!
And if they want to spend money doing that?
That creates all kinds of new work and projects for you the developer!!!!

In Canada, one of our major delivery companies saved about 10 million dollars in the FIRST year of setting up their customer web portal.
(they used to have a building full of people (about 4-5 floors) of people on the phone, answering customer inqueries about their package and its tracking). By moving this process out to a customer portal, those 4 floors of people are now not required.

So, if you wondering what the "hot ticket" for work in our industry is right now?
Building web sites? Nope, not even close - they all did that 20 years ago too!!!

But, building a web portal that is "software" and one that can directly interact with all those internal software systems (that the company built up over the last 25 years)?

Well, this is a big "cherry" area of work. And the reason is that the numbers add up HUGE and FAST in terms of payback time.

When a company first purchased a computer to do payroll? They would go say from having 2-3 people working for 2-3 days down to doing the whole job in less then ONE afternoon, and only with 1 staff.

However, when they upgraded that payroll system a few years down the road to some fancy new windows version?
Really, they did not gain much in terms of staff savings.

In other words?
Not since when companies FIRST adopted computers can I think of a area that will save a company boatloads of staff time.
And thus, these savings is what REALLY triggered the computer hey days of money and jobs in the industry.

If I can walk into a company, and make a pitch that the software will save 400 minutes of staff time in one day?
They they will not let me go out the door unless I build them that software.

I mean, they would be wasting and throwing money away by NOT going forward with the project.

Software when done right costs MUCH LESS then the benefits for the company!

I mean, it's not really different then placing a big pile of money on the street with a sign on top saying:

Please help yourself, grab some of this money.

So, a company buing a new version of word, or a new accounting package?
It not really going to "improve" their bottom line much different as compared to their FIRST purchase of that accounting package.

And, as I pointed out, companies have invested into these information systems for 25+ years now.
But, that information is all locked up into those internal staff facing systems, not being exposed to their customer base.

Bottom line:
if you can figure out and take ANY business process a company has now (their software systems), and at any point in time that software is used to interact with their customers (email, phone calls, whatever), and expose that process directly to the customer?

Then you just created a bunch of work for your self. And the amazing part is in near all cases, such proposals "sell" themselves, since the cost savings have NEVER been this high for such proposals, except when the boom in this industry started 25 years ago.

Because our industry is maturing, then those internal software systems and investments are slowing down.

I mean, what company don't have a accounting system?
What company not invested money in the last 25 year to build some work flow and software?
(hopefully in Access!!!!).

But, those above investments don't wear out, and they don't rust.

So, the above is VERY much why you don't see a lot of new Access work these days.

But, there is a cherry tree just sitting there for developers to grab.
And the cherry tree is to take all those past 25+ years of investments into all that software, and to start exposing that software to the external customers with a customer web portal.

Find ANY process that you can move to the web from internal? You just created some nice work for yourself.

So, over time, we now have customers:

Able to start a new project.
Able to up-load and supply files to that project.
(and portal up-loads put all such files into the project folder).
Able to approve work, able to reject work.
Able to modify or approve current shipping address.

Every single one of the above process used to require internal staff time and efforts, and every one of the above steps used to require some staff to use some internal software for the above given tasks.

So, in many ways, there is a bonanza of work waiting for developers. And that is to un-lock and expose all the last 25+ years of investments that companies have into their software. But, 99% of that investment was for internal facing software. All one has to do is then find any internal process that can be exposed to their customer base - and you just found a whole bunch of work as a developer.

So, web work to create a web site? No, little work in that.

But, building a web site that is software driven, and has lots of code (just like our Access applications do!!!), and taking that internal software, and moving it out to the web portal? Now we talking!!!

As a result, then the need to share code between VBA and our web site is now front and center for me (and the solutions to this issue are interesting - really a presentation I should do on this subject).

So, I don't think as a developer investing time on how to build web sites is of much value. Besides, so many CMS and site builder systems exist, it tends to be a low skill endeavor anyway.

However, moving work flows and business software to the web?
Well, us Access developers been writing and building business systems for 20+ years?
Yup, it's a similar skill set, and writing software that drives a web portal is not unlike writing software for the desktop.

Building software for a company adds the value - not content systems.....

Find a way to un-lock internal software systems and expose them to the customer base - that's were the work is right now.....

R
Albert

 

[dalski]

@Albert D. Kallal your posts always high-calibre, we are lucky to have you on the forum.

Now, the topic here WAS in regards to building sites with content.

I missed this completely & still don't see it; sorry @Isaac for bloating your thread with irrelevance. I read the OP as a static website builder, & if that was the case & there was no benefit to using a website builder with the damage to SEO caused by website builders & to bite the bullet & hand-code.

MS Access - The Good & The Bad
The last thing I want is for Access to become irrelevant, as it is the tool I am by far most familiar with. I do wonder if i would have been better having already been familiar with HTML, CSS, C#, minor PHP & Javascript building straight from there, but given how hard it has been learning Access I could be overlooking the difficulties of development here. I will say that a Grid Control for basic responsive layouts in a C# Windows Presentation Folder (WPF) was an absolute doddle & wipes the floor with Access' static layout restrictions. As does a responsive layout in CSS (Cascading Stylesheets) for HTML.

The Good

• An awesome Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool
• Cheap development costs

The Bad

• GUI Static Element Sizing - cannot relatively size elements & makes hard-work interfacing & resizing elements, bad not only for local deployment to desktops but even more so on multi-devices accessing via web
• Bad Web Interaction (very important) - ineffective packet-size making TCP/IP much harder than it needs to be with alternatives as it was built for Local Area Networks (LAN's) not Wide Area Networks (WAN's)
• I lost a lot of time trying to understand replicating inheritance & VBA & found this to be an absolute pig compared to the likes of C# where the language to me makes far more sense & has more consistency. This is my amateur opinion where others here have far stronger capabilities than myself. The following video by Codekabinett also states VBA being the most hated language with a 70% majority by Stack Overflow. I agree with this (not that my amateur opinion counts for much)

Developing Existing Applications Further
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not misinterpreting your post as using Access for the portal. I know you are talking about interfacing between a Web Portal & the Access Application itself; & that is where the 'cherry' is. @Albert D. Kallal I'm hope I'm wrong here because I've spent more than year developing my own Access Application & I hope you tear my counter-argument apart. I built in Access because I am an amateur to learn & see if it's possible. But for an existing big business to continue using Access for it's core operations seems comparable to prolonging the life of someone on life support in a vegetative state contractually bound to continue until their natural death bound to that life support machine. If they're earning millions would they not be better off biting the bullet & building a more modern architecture?

• The general impression I get is that Access is on the way-out as it is based on 30 year old tech which has been greatly superseded in capability & performance
• As the supply of developers increases & AI; cost of developing applications with more modern languages more appropriate for web-use

Again I absolutely pray you destroy my counter-argument here & this is in no way argumentative. I want to be wrong!

 

[Isaac]

@Albert D. Kallal your posts always high-calibre, we are lucky to have you on the forum.


I missed this completely & still don't see it; sorry @Isaac for bloating your thread with irrelevance. I read the OP as a static website builder, & if that was the case & there was no benefit to using a website builder with the damage to SEO caused by website builders & to bite the bullet & hand-code.

MS Access - The Good & The Bad
The last thing I want is for Access to become irrelevant, as it is the tool I am by far most familiar with. I do wonder if i would have been better having already been familiar with HTML, CSS, C#, minor PHP & Javascript building straight from there, but given how hard it has been learning Access I could be overlooking the difficulties of development here. I will say that a Grid Control for basic responsive layouts in a C# Windows Presentation Folder (WPF) was an absolute doddle & wipes the floor with Access' static layout restrictions. As does a responsive layout in CSS (Cascading Stylesheets) for HTML.

The Good

• An awesome Rapid Application Development (RAD) tool
• Cheap development costs

The Bad

• GUI Static Element Sizing - cannot relatively size elements & makes hard-work interfacing & resizing elements, bad not only for local deployment to desktops but even more so on multi-devices accessing via web
• Bad Web Interaction (very important) - ineffective packet-size making TCP/IP much harder than it needs to be with alternatives as it was built for Local Area Networks (LAN's) not Wide Area Networks (WAN's)
• I lost a lot of time trying to understand replicating inheritance & VBA & found this to be an absolute pig compared to the likes of C# where the language to me makes far more sense & has more consistency. This is my amateur opinion where others here have far stronger capabilities than myself. The following video by Codekabinett also states VBA being the most hated language with a 70% majority by Stack Overflow. I agree with this (not that my amateur opinion counts for much)

Developing Existing Applications Further
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not misinterpreting your post as using Access for the portal. I know you are talking about interfacing between a Web Portal & the Access Application itself; & that is where the 'cherry' is. @Albert D. Kallal I'm hope I'm wrong here because I've spent more than year developing my own Access Application & I hope you tear my counter-argument apart. I built in Access because I am an amateur to learn & see if it's possible. But for an existing big business to continue using Access for it's core operations seems comparable to prolonging the life of someone on life support in a vegetative state contractually bound to continue until their natural death bound to that life support machine. If they're earning millions would they not be better off biting the bullet & building a more modern architecture?

• The general impression I get is that Access is on the way-out as it is based on 30 year old tech which has been greatly superseded in capability & performance
• As the supply of developers increases & AI; cost of developing applications with more modern languages more appropriate for web-use

Again I absolutely pray you destroy my counter-argument here & this is in no way argumentative. I want to be wrong!

Well, it's just that people have thought that for so long and always been wrong - if I had to guess I think Access will continue to be relevant for many years to come

 

[dalski]

Well, it's just that people have thought that for so long and always been wrong - if I had to guess I think Access will continue to be relevant for many years to come

Thank you Isaac, was what I was hoping to hear. It is a brilliant application.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

Again I absolutely pray you destroy my counter-argument here & this is in no way argumentative. I want to be wrong!

Actually, no! If you building desktop software, then Access STILL remains a great choice!!!

Access is not really fading in terms of what it can do for a given business. The simple matter is that area of the industry has matured, and thus it means LESS investments are going into desktop development in a typical company. This is not due to the desktop going away, but due to that companies have made that investment already.

But, it does mean when a new technology or a CHANGE in technology can be adopted, it also opens doors in a big way.

And those doors open because those technology changes allows NEW THINGS to be done!!

So, I remember when the GUI just started appearing. We had hoards of developers using FoxPro, dbaseIII etc. (all green screen or text based).

So, a lot of companies had and still were investing in software.

But, then the GUI started appearing. Well, this resulted in several things, but it triggered a whole new round of upgrades and software work.

And I should point out at that time as products like Access started appearing? Well, it appeared at the right time, and I ALSO remember that some developers did NOT cross that bridge from green screen software to now windows and GUI based software. (in fact, most people who did not cross that bridge left our industry).

But, more important? That new GUI technology triggered a lot of new rounds of software devleopments and upgrades.

And the same occurred with the arrival of the web.

I can't stress how important this "change" of technology and the "trigger" of new work are related here.

I great example:

I had a few clients that resided in one of those business condo areas. You know, probably 50-60 units, all arranged in rows.

Say like this:

So, when the web was just started out?
Some young lad simply wrote up a VERY garbage like brochure offering to build a web site for any business in that area.

And, since everyone was wanting and needing to setup a web site?
That young lad picked boatloads of new clients - hooked most of them!!!

And today? Now with say his 50+ clients? He has all the work we needs or wants in a day - billing out at $80 per hour. Makes a great living.
(so, those business often want minor tweaks and changes over time).

Now, fast forward to now/today?

Gee, I want to get into the web development business - not a lot of training - heck less effort then even writing software!!!

So, print up a super duper shiny brochure - all fancy ,glossy paper super sales job about how great of a web site you can build for those business.

Drop it off at each of the above business condo units - say 60 of them.

Want to guess how many phone calls or responds you get the next day?

answer = zero.

But why?
Because that young land 20 years ago with a phone number written on scraps of paper 20 years ago snagged them all - that's why!!!

So, if the web did not come along, then that young lad would NOT have a chance to pick up new customers.

So, the CHANGE in technology is what drives the above example.

 

[Albert D. Kallal]

So, how about another example?

Well, again, software industry was maturing - but then the smartphone came along!!!

And again, huge doors opened up, as many business now wanted and could use some app software (for building inspections, for delivery, for taking on site pictures with quoting software - huge new things could be done with smartphones). Again, the key and critical concept here is a CHANGE in technology occurred!!!

It is this "change" that opened up the doors. So, those jumping into Access? With that GUI? Well, that was displacing those Green screen applications - along with many a business NOT YET having adopted computers + software.

But, keep in mind that a change in technology does not necessary have to occur to create more work for yourself, but a CHANGE in the technologies YOU use can also create that work!!!

So, desktop software is still relevant , but like that young lad dropping off a scrap paper with his phone number?
Well, those business ALREADY invested in their web sites.

Same goes for the windows software. Business ALREADY invested. That desktop software is JUST as important now as it was back when it was crated. But, that investment has ALREADY occurred.

So, to find more desktop development work, you have to find a company that's not using desktop software.
(good luck finding that). When we started, most business did not have computers or software yet - now they do.

Or you have to find a new start up business - again, that' a super low rate of customer base to chase.

So, then, the concept here is to find what technologies that these business have not yet adopted.

While near all have adopted and have some web site (tends to be just some static brochure type of site), large amounts of business have not yet adopted customer facing web portals that interface their customers to all of that least 20+ years of software investments (which are internal facing).

So, there is much less desktop software work today, since most business have already made that investments, just like say 20 years ago, they invested to have someone build them some www site with some simple HTML markup....

However, these "plays" in our industry don't last long. What was holding back a lot of smaller business to build those customer web portals?

Cost - the cost of web development was too high, and tools were not mature enough - so, only larger business could afford such development costs.

Well, web development tools are vast improved today. And that thus opens up doors for developers and business that at one time spent money on internal software systems.

It's also a way to leverage existing Access work. Sooner or later, business will figure out how great a customer web portal is - and if you the Access developer can't offer that solution, then someone else will - and often that other company will ALSO offer to re-write most or significant parts of your application - and you thus not only can't you find new work , but you risk losing existing work!!!

It will be the same as when we Access developers came along and replaced green screen applications....

• As the supply of developers increases & AI; cost of developing applications with more modern languages more appropriate for web-use

Well, their are way too many developers right now - about 10x more then we need....I can explain this issue, but it's not due to AI......

The issue of web based as I pointed out is that technology can YIELD the big cherry cost savings - and further investments in their desktop software not going to benefit the company. it's not that one technology is more important, it's that they ALREADY have made the desktop investments over the last 20 years. So, investment dollars not flowing that way anymore because they don't need to!!!


Just like that business condo example, and web development? Well, there's no new web site work for those 60 business anymore (well new sites I mean). And they all probably invested in desktop software also.

So, very little work in web sites, and very little work in desktop software will exist. Not because the web or desktop is going away, but because they already made those investments....

But, most of those business will NOT have taken their internal desktop software investments, and started figuring out how to expose that software and investments to their customers (with that customer web portal).

So, buying a new payroll program? Not really going to change that business bottom line one bit, and they probably should just keep using their 25 year old FoxPro green screen DOS based system. --- I really mean this!!!

But, 9 out of 10 times, I can walk into that office, and get a signed contract for that payroll system....

How?

Well, you see, in most such companies, they have a controller or main accounting staff, and that person also thus tends to do some HR work.

So, in a given day, staff will phone up the accounting office for:

How much holiday pay do I have coming, or how and when can I take holidays?

Say, just 10 phone calls in one day, each 5 minutes long?

Well, that's 50 minutes per day - 10 days that's 500 minutes of expensive and limited accounting/controllers time right?

So, then offer to build that company a employee facing web site that interfaces to the account system. Now, employees can log in, see their pay, get their tax filing information. Schedule their holidays etc. All occurring without the expensive accounting/controllers time.

At least 1 hour per day you save that company......
And thus, what business owner would not grab your hand, not let you out the door ,since you about to build them a magic black box that will save the accounting 1 hour per day - the payback for the cost of such software is only months - not years. And after that, the magic black box of software is saving them money every day - for the next 20 years!!!!

Like I said, no business owner going to leave a pile of money sitting on a table. To NOT buy that staff portal software will cost the company MORE money then buying such software!!!!

Note once again, that Green screen accounting software can still be used - but by adopting DIFFERENT technology - web based, then you just created new work......

BTW?
Near every company I know today with more then about 40 employees? They are now all using such "employee" web based software for staff to schedule holidays, check holiday pay owing and tax info for filing - and it was a market I wanted to enter - but was too busy!!! Developers who got into this business segment are doing VERY well......

I want to be wrong!

Well, actually you not wrong. But the issue was never that desktop software went away, but that such investments ALREADY have occurred. That desktop software is still there - it's just that the company now does not have to invest and spend money on that software - it works and does the job it should. So, additional investments will NOT save the company money anymore, but investing say in some customer web portal? That can save them boatloads of money.

Remember, software has to cost LESS then the benefits company receives.

In fact, if by me hiring you, and I can make $8 per month by hiring you? Why then I will hire a million such people like you, and thus I will be making 8 million dollars per month.....

So, just like that pile of money sitting on the corner with a sign on top saying "help yourself - grab some money"?

it's the same when buying software or even hiring someone. If the cost of that software or employee is LESS then the benefits the company receives, then they will buy software or hire you.

of course, if the cost of the software is MORE then the benefits or the cost of that employee is MORE then what they receive for hiring that person? Well, they will fast go out of business!!!!

So, work in our industry is based on finding software investments that produce MORE benefits then the cost of that software.

Desktop is not dying, it's just that investments in more desktop software will not translate into savings, and thus the dollars are not going to flow in that direction. And the money not flowing into those 5 days HTML graduates that took some course at the fly by night tech school down the street to get into the web site creating boom. (because that young lad already picked up those companies 20 years ago!!!!).


R
Albert