Dynadot

advice What Programming Language is useful for a domainer?

Spaceship Spaceship
Watch

What programming language is useful for a domainer?


Sammy Jakes

Established Member
Impact
262
I have some free time now and I would like to learn coding.
I would like to know what programming language is useful for a domainer and what specific domaining problem can I solve with it?
Thanks
 
5
•••
The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
i found vb.net to be the most useful mostly use it to automate api calls and store the data in a database to filter through
 
Last edited:
0
•••
2
•••
2
•••
I have made dozens of web sites using nothing but HTML.

An examples is :

https://www.fiction.us

You can't learn everything at once so start simply.
HTML is the first thing you should master.
Not that I feel that I have mastered it.
I first decide what I want to do.
Then I figure out how to do it.
I do nothing more.
I am not trying to learn web design.
I am designing web sites.

As you make changes to your HTML web sites, you will
run into a problem, and that problem is the cache.
You will make changes to your HTML web pages, ftp those
changes to your host server, and then visit your web site
with your home computer, and you won't see the changes
that you just made. That is because your home computer
will display the web page that is saved in your cache
rather then the web page that is currently in your host server.
You can get around that for a while by pushing Control F5.
But, eventually, even Control F5 won't defeat your cache.
And of course the people who visit
your web site regularly will have the same cache problem
and you can't tell them to type Control F5.

At this point you will want to design your web pages using PHP.
Your home computer does not store PHP code in the cache and
you can find anything you want to know about PHP online.
When I can, I design in HTML first, and then write code in PHP
which creates that same HTML web page. This is what I am doing
with...

https://www.filmz.us

You are getting a lot of horrible advice here.
Horrible advice is what you should expect in Namepros.
Get used to it.
I'd seriously recommend using a website validator on your websites before suggesting the advice given here is "horrible".

Your example websites fail miserably :(
 
1
•••
Fine by me. Now, would you care explain why those quotes are incorrect? That is a fair ask, don't you think?

You can build a website just using HTML. I have done so.
You can use PHP without using Javascript. I have done so.
And who are you to tell someone to focus on domaining?
Designing web sites is a natural progression for domainers
and we all should be well rounded people, and continually evolving our skills.
 
0
•••
I'd seriously recommend using a website validator on your websites before suggesting the advice given here is "horrible".

Your example websites fail miserably :(

I know it fails the W3 test. I don't care and neither do the people who read the books on my website.
 
0
•••
You can build a website just using HTML. I have done so.
You can use PHP without using Javascript. I have done so.
And who are you to tell someone to focus on domaining?
Designing web sites is a natural progression for domainers
and we all should be well rounded people, and continually evolving our skills.
I'm having a real difficult time staying positive with my replies to you.

Yes, you can TRY to use HTML and php but as your example websites prove, if not used CORRECTLY they will fail miserably.
 
0
•••
I know it fails the W3 test. I don't care and neither do the people who read the books on my website.
That maybe so, BUT Google does care and I'm very confident you're losing traffic and ranking poorly in the search engines because of all the errors.
 
1
•••
You can build a website just using HTML. I have done so.
You can use PHP without using Javascript. I have done so.
And who are you to tell someone to focus on domaining?
Designing web sites is a natural progression for domainers
and we all should be well rounded people, and continually evolving our skills.

Either you have very limited skills or are ignorant or both. Here's why:

First, I doubt you used PHP without also at least using HTML/CSS. If you use PHP but stay away from javascript means you are very limited in PHP and/or a lazy developer.

I didn't say domainers should not learn a programming language, but they should only dive into it if they are invested long term. It would make more sense, time-wise, to learn a CMS.

I don't know if it is a proven fact that "Designing web sites is a natural progression for domainers".

Finally, you have not addressed one single quote you copied of mine and explain why it is incorrect.
 
3
•••
Yes, you can TRY to use HTML and php but as your example websites prove, if not used CORRECTLY they will fail miserably.

Exactly what do they fail except for the W3 test. They appear perfect to the user in all browsers.
It is not worth the effort to spend the time required to pass the W3 test. I would have to go
through more than one thousand web pages. I wouldn't take the time to repair one page to
pass the W3 test. I have better things to do.
 
0
•••
It should also be stressed that the purpose of learning a language, programming or otherwise, is to be able to customize and edit sites, not just build them from scratch. With so many tools available why would you want to do that? In order to be able to make customizations you need to be versed in PHP, Javascript, HTML, and CSS at the very least.
 
4
•••
Exactly what do they fail except for the W3 test. They appear perfect to the user in all browsers.
It is not worth the effort to spend the time required to pass the W3 test. I would have to go
through more than one thousand web pages. I wouldn't take the time to repair one page to
pass the W3 test. I have better things to do.

This shows you have a very basic knowledge of Web design. If you knew what you were doing you would be able to edit the sites, even with 1000s of pages, with only a few edits. But that is beyond the scope of this thread. In your case, you would need to edit those 1000s of pages individually because you did it the wrong way from the start.
 
Last edited:
2
•••
Exactly what do they fail except for the W3 test. They appear perfect to the user in all browsers.
It is not worth the effort to spend the time required to pass the W3 test. I would have to go
through more than one thousand web pages. I wouldn't take the time to repair one page to
pass the W3 test. I have better things to do.
If you actually were using php correctly you won't have to go through all the pages to make the corrections manually.

That's because using php correctly will allow you to automate the creation of all your pages. You would make any corrections needed to fix the errors ONCE and then let php generate all the corrected pages for you.
 
Last edited:
2
•••
You can build a website just using HTML. I have done so.
Actually this is incorrect.

You have actually used HTML and CSS just not very well.

Also, since you added StatCounter and Google AdSense you are even using JavaScript.

The problem here is lumping everything together into one file and repeating that over and over.

Instead, keep each element separate.

For example:
  • HTML for the structure
  • CSS for the styling
  • MySQL or some other database to store each record
Php or some other technology can then combine all of it together for you and take care of all the hidden details.

That's the smarter and best way to go.

So the easiest way to do this if you don't want to learn all the gory details and there are a ton of details, is to use a CMS like Wordpress.
 
Last edited:
3
•••
Additionally, you cannot use just one language to build a website. Dynamic websites (i.e. websites that use more than just HTML/CSS) need a combination of programming languages that include both server-side and browser-side languages. So if you use PHP (server-side), you will also need to utilize Javascript (browser-side). There is a method of updating pages that is called AJAX which combines different languages. So there is no one useful programming language. You need to be versed in a number of languages to be able to create complete websites.

You obviously are incapable of honesty. You say that if you use PHP you will also need to use Javascript.
That is not true. I have used PHP without using Javascript. The filmz.us website uses PHP and does not use Javascript. I have used Javascript and PHP together on a website that allows users to upload mp4 videos to their own webpages. You say that you cannot use just one language to build a website. That is clearly ridiculous. I am an electrical engineer and have never worked as a web designer. I learn how to do things as I need them. But, I still know stupidity when I hear it.
 
1
•••
I have some free time now and I would like to learn coding.
I would like to know what programming language is useful for a domainer and what specific domaining problem can I solve with it?
Thanks

Start with PHP or Javascript. If you want to make big money, become an expert in ruby.

This is a good place to start. Lots of other resources. Feel free to ask me questions about PHP.
https://www.freecodecamp.org/
 
Last edited:
3
•••
You obviously are incapable of honesty. You say that if you use PHP you will also need to use Javascript.
That is not true. I have used PHP without using Javascript. The filmz.us website uses PHP and does not use Javascript. I have used Javascript and PHP together on a website that allows users to upload mp4 videos to their own webpages. You say that you cannot use just one language to build a website. That is clearly ridiculous. I am an electrical engineer and have never worked as a web designer. I learn how to do things as I need them. But, I still know stupidity when I hear it.
I think the problem here is a misunderstanding of the terms being used.

"Dynamic websites" DO need JavaScript or they aren't Dynamic - Period.

Uploading files is a very basic function and in no way demonstrates you know how to use php or JavaScript.

I've been a programmer for over 30 years and NOTHING that TCK has written is untrue and in fact I agree almost 100% with what he has written. There are a few minor details I'd tweak a bit.
 
Last edited:
2
•••
Flame wars aside.. most modern websites use a combination of languages, PHP and Javscript are the most common.

HTML and CSS are not programming languages in the traditional sense but are template / layout rules.

You can do a lot with CSS but you will eventually need Javascript to process data.

Wordpress is the most common / popular program used to build websites. It uses PHP and Javscript. Learning either will not be a waste of time.
 
4
•••
Neither HTML nor CSS is going to be of much use to domainers.

Probably more so than a programming language, most domainers would benefit from learning how to use formulas in spreadsheets and a sophisticated text editor, such as Sublime Text (including its keyboard shortcuts and regular expressions).

You'd be able to significantly increase your efficiency in dealing with large lists of domains.

We hope that helps.
Regarding text editors...

It appears Visual Studio Code is the leading FREE editor of choice these days and I'm now using it :)

Okay maybe 3rd ha
 
Last edited:
3
•••
0
•••
Uploading files is a very basic function and in no way demonstrates you know how to use php or JavaScript.

I don't claim to be an expert web designer. That does not mean that I can't recognize baloney when I see it.
When you say that I am incorrect in saying "You can build a website just using HTML. I have done so"
shows that you are completely dishonest. You have to know that it is possible to build a website just using HTML and you know that Google Adsense and Statcounter are not necessary for any website.
And you don't know how many other HTML websites that I have that have no Javascript or Adsense.

That maybe so, BUT Google does care and I'm very confident you're losing traffic and ranking poorly in the search engines because of all the errors.

I designed fiction.us many years ago, before I knew what CSS or PHP was. According to Statcounter,
fiction.us has had over 630,000 visitors. There are Universities that list fiction.us as one of the best sites to read free public domain novels. Do you ever get tired of being wrong?
 
0
•••
I'm a PHP guy. I've already wrote many tools with vanilla PHP, HTML and JS to help me to find proper domain names.

But If I had a chance to start from the beginning, I would go for Python.
Since domaining is all about playing with words, Python has just sufficient libraries to play with datasets and word lists.

But any of those options would work if you can learn how to use them.
 
4
•••
.. and what specific domaining problem can I solve with it?
Thanks

Mod team is correct, a spread sheet is very valuable. If you go deeper and want to download and process registry files, PHP, Ruby Perl are great choices.

If you want to build something like dotdb.com or instantdomainsearch.com, you'll need a real programming language.
 
2
•••
I'm a PHP guy. I've already wrote many tools with vanilla PHP, HTML and JS to help me to find proper domain names.

But If I had a chance to start from the beginning, I would go for Python.
Since domaining is all about playing with words, Python has just sufficient libraries to play with datasets and word lists.

But any of those options would work if you can learn how to use them.

Python is a great choice too. Great for scraping websites.
 
Last edited:
2
•••
I wonder if Sammy regrets he question yet.
 
1
•••
Back