Programming -- what's so special about that? Don't all web sites involve programming?

Well, yes and no ... all web sites are coded in HTML, short for HyperText Markup Language. A web designer generates HTML for every page. This is a kind of programming.

But suppose you have several pages that are identical in layout, except that certain details are different -- perhaps a product description or image. One way to deal with that is to create a new page for each product -- to write nearly identical HTML except for the minor differences in content.

However, if the web developer is a skilled programmer, there's another solution: write a program that runs on what's known as the back end -- the server on which the web site is hosted -- and actually generates the HTML on the fly, at the time the page is requested.

This is the heart of what are known as dynamic web sites -- sites that can generate varying content for the same page, usually by reading information from a database or a file.

So what does that mean for you? Well, it means that, for example, any of your content can be stored in some ordered storage system, like a database, and read by a program and put up on your web site. It opens all sorts of possibilites -- you can actually create your own pages, with your own content in pre-defined areas of the site.

This is one of the things I can do -- create a back-end program that allows you to update the content in specific areas of the site. You can log onto this program with your own username and password, and update your site as needed. It's actually easier than using a product like Microsoft's FrontPage, because you don't have to worry about design or styling -- that's what you hired me for! You only need to change the things that need changing.

That's only one use of back-end programming. In developing programming applications, my primary committment is to getting it right. I'll work long hours to ensure that the code is as robust and correct as it needs to be -- my professional pride demands it!