newbie questions for starting a B2C site

[bluehaley]

Hi,

I want to setup an online retail business. From what I read, I need a web server (thinking of Apache), an application server, and a database. My questions are:

1. What are the pros and cons of PHP vs. JSP?
2. What will be a good low-cost database? Is MySQL robust enough for a small ebiz?
3. Am I missing something here? I have DreamWeaver for design. Then after I get the servers and the database, do I have all the basic pieces?

Thank you very much for your help. I really appreciate it!

[davidhills]

MySQL is a robust database. For a small ebiz it might be overkill unless you are familiar with DB Admin and programming. For quick and easy setup for eCommerce you could host with an ISP that provides all the tools and a packaged shopping cart such as ShopSite.

However, if you want to build everything then you would need a web server such as Apache with the SSL extensions and a secure certificate. You would also need to get a merchant account if you want to take Credit Cards and you would probably want to interface to a payment gateway such are Authorize.Net or VeriSign.

There is the whole range from do-it-all-yourself to going with some packaged solutions.

[bluehaley]

Thank you, David.

[Uchelu]

It might be more cost effective to start out with paypal instead of a merchant account.

Good luck with your new site.

Sincerely,

Uche Unachukwu
President/Editor-in-Chief
GenxRevealed
www.genxrevealed.com

[Yogi]

hi
I was curious to know why you want to get in to all the trouble of developing a b2c application at your own??? why don;t you try some readymade hosting solutions. An excellent and cost solution is avaliable at http://b2bparadise.com.

[rodecksolutions]

As David says you can either buy a pre-packaged solution or build it from scratch.

I would suggest a mix of both. Start with a solution that has alot of the standard e-commerce features built in but also is flexible enough to allow you to custom build whatever your specific needs you have.

They're called Open Source Shopping Carts. My favorite is one called OsCommerce, built in PHP and uses a MySQL database.

It's not the best choice for new users but if you're comfortable with basic coding, web server concepts you should be able to figure it out.