Before buying a web based application and website design, these reading material is very important tips to remember for you to avoid paying twice, and ask some questions to you development and website design company, so you will understand the issues regarding “ownership”.
For instance, a new client, is looking for adding database functionality to their existing website. Then the present webmaster, completed the initial interface, design and business logo of the site. When the clients asked for a quote to his webmaster, to add to the site the functionality, and soon gave the quote and the budget exceeded and it become a problem for his budget.
If you find an existing great application that is substantial for the client’s needs and less development custom, and the webmaster is advised by the client they will move services, then you can ask yourself, if the webmaster will keep your original website. Of course not, and you have to start all over again and the client will pay for extra design and another charges.
You must remember this some questions and important tips for your development company and website design.
Web Design Source Code: Hiring a developer or a web designer to produce a web based application or website where your business depends on, which the fact is your entire business is the web application. And these is 100% the case of business online depending on the web site processing development. One perfect example of whole business online is the E-Commerce stores.
The web designers build web pages with Hyper-Text Markup Language or HTML and the compilation of images, which is the standard text based language known by most web designers in the world. To hold your web site structure together, HTML is use commonly, and keep the text and images in the proper places. The HTML is interpreted by the web browser you use and display the website text and images.
Then your web designer begin to draw in a graphic program your web site, and these professional designers, often use the two tools which is often used known as the Photoshop and the Macromedia Fireworks. By using shapes, images, fonts and colors, the designer starts to draw, and pile up in layers to build new web design and the final feel and look of their designs. Then the designers use the smaller image, resulting from the images slice up, using the HTML to hold it together, in create the working website.
This is the key. If your web designer used Photoshop or Macromedia Fireworks or any software, you will need the original art file used to your web site designing. If you cannot avail the source file, maybe the next designer will create new design, if you want changes for the artwork and start from scratch, and would be difficult if the used original images are no longer available. PNG (yourWebsite.PNG)The source files of Macromedia have extension., Thus,PSD (yourWebsite.PSD) Photoshop files have extension.
The fonts, is another issue in the future designs. If fancy fonts will be used by your designer and are not installed by your computer’s default or your future computer designers, then different fonts must be replaced as substitute. However, it is not big issue in choosing new fonts. For example, the font for Coca-Cola® logo, was no longer available, because the Coke® company have new designers and it does really created damage. This font they used for corporation branding or company logo is needed.
Query you must ask to your web designer:
1) Will you provide me the source files used in the design, soon you finish my new website?
2) Are you going to transfer the copyright or ownership these source files for my company or in my name? Then maybe, can you give me same license to use the source files or can revise it ?
3) Are you going to provide me the files and name for the design of my new website and all the non-windows design fonts? Transferring the fonts from an original web design, have copyright issues, then it is important to know the font’s name, and where you purchase copies for your archived project.
Code of Web Application Source: Most web developers, build programs working as internet applications, and create compiled codes at the web server in time. For example, the code will, it extract a data set and connect to a database. So it could be readable, the data ill be compiled into an HTML table and then the web server will send it to your web browser as clean HTML. However, you cannot read the scripting language and the view source, due to the web server is still there and not leave the page, then you will only view see the HTML if you ‘view source’.
Some of the developer codes that have written, is copyright protected. Your web developer can use code blocks, or buy in the form of server components code, or buy complete application for functionality from other programmers, in order the program to finish and complete the site. But be sure you can still use the software developed by your developer for unlimited time, for your business, and that you can use the same costs of licensing or any restrictions of the license, that have been disclosed to you before the project has started. Then you must know, if you are tied up for a long period to a server or hosting application plans.
Questions you may ask your developer:
1) Will my company use the developed application and transfer the same unlimited license to me?
2) Regarding the application, can you disclose any restrictions of the license to me?
3) Can you write the languages or common standard codes, that I will be able to own my server eventually or move to other hosting provider?
4) If it is necessary, can I transfer my application into another server, may be in the future?
Using Encryption: If your developer agreed to the four questions above, then you thought of being free and have to start. Then maybe after two years, you decided to move your application into your own server, maybe your E-Commerce store became busy and the hosting and bandwidth cost is starting to kill your profits.
Then when you start the process of moving to the new server, and could not contact your webmaster for help, and he is gone, then you can think of using more established business firm, and find a new webmaster. But then the new web developer learned from the clients that he maybe was the second or third developer, and have to move the site, then something will go wrong, and the source code portions are encrypted, and cannot decrypt it even by the government. Those blocks of codes must be rewritten again and the clients must pay again.
If your HTML web site source or scripting language application is encrypted then there is no way for functionality or must be rewritten, or fixing bugs, without the original developer involved who holds the encryption key, and that would be clever enough.
To put into code some portions of the code source, is one good reason, on a web application within one of the files, which most contain the database, source code, username and password. And this is one great code block example that should put into code before you put it on the shared environment hosting.
Make sure you have the copy of your unencrypted code source, if your developer will encrypt the source code portions for your project archive, so you can work with your new developer.
You should ask your developer regarding encryption
1) Are you going to encrypt all or any of the source code application you are creating for me?
2) Can you provide me the original source code copy before you encrypt?
There are numerous kind of technologies used in web applications and web sites development which include, to name a few, the PHP or Pre-Hypertext Processor, ASP or Active Server Pages, ASP.NET or Active Server Pages dot Net, and Cold fusion. This technologies are used widely and available, and have numerous developers who knows these languages, while there are developer with less knowledge in scripting and programming languages, that can do more than the most widely used languages. But it is very difficult to find a programmer who have knowledge about this languages.
Most of the programming and scripting languages such as Active Server Page dot Net or ASP.NET technology or Microsoft’s® Active Server Page, are specifically developed for the Microsoft operating system purposes. If you run on a Linux operating system, and if not impossible, these technologies are difficult. If your programmer choose a language to create your web application, and he may tie you up to a long term contract with particular software vendor and operating systems. This could be nice, as long as you accept and recognize the choices of long ramifications, or some in the future, it can costs you more.
You can ask question to your web developer regarding languages on programming. Such as, Can I host my own web site on my chosen servers with the operating system of my choice or is the technology you used to tie up in any operating system in particular? Or can I host my Linux server and Microsoft web server application?
Have the assurance of able to transfer your website to a server with standard comparable, in the coming days if you have the plant to move. It is not necessary to transfer your website into a new server, it might cause relationship break down between you and your web designer. Hence, if your existing server can no longer handle the traffic smallest frequency range constituting a band, within particular signal that can be transmitted without changes of your site, then you may be forced to transfer. You will find it more economical if you host your own application and set up your own web server, if in a shared hosting environment, you can host your own website application and set up your own server which is more economical.
Choosing to host your own application is where the costs branch out of your prior choices that hit your budget. For instance, using PHP in your developed site, a website’s open source scripting language, and the new server cost, will not include in the operating system of any software licensing or Linux because it is free. But if your site is using ASP.NET or ASP, then you have to buy expensive server license.
You must be sure to have an agreement with your commissioned web developer or web designer, that specify clearly that you can use continually the related source files and project signed with your company, and that is one problem since there is no documentation, and you know whether you are the owner of your own web based application or your web site.
Summary: The web developers and web designers have their right to ensure and protect their potential earnings in the future. You need to know your position regarding the choices made in your behalf, as the purchaser or customer of web design service, regarding your web based application or your site.