The great Carl Sagan once said, “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must

first invent the universe.” It feels like that on the web too; before you can build a website,

you have to learn a whole galaxy of technologies.

Back when the web was new, it was enough to learn a smattering of HTML. Not anymore: HTML

has evolved, and it’s just a starting point. Nowadays, if you want to mount a credible website, it

needs to be beautiful, functional, and useful.

To achieve this, you need an understanding of techniques that cross traditional disciplinary

boundaries. For many companies, getting a professional website means hiring a high-priced

agency that’s staffed with project managers, programmers, and designers.

Or does it? Can one person running his or her own agency do it all? Can he or she be the one

who understands the mechanics of web serving, the details of front-end web development, the

touchy-feely world of design, and the logic of application development?

My friend, I’m here to give you a most emphatic “yes.”