Question

Topic: Other

Ever Dealt With Microsoft Sharepoint?

Posted by Anonymous on 5/9/2008 at 10:20 AM ET 250 Points
I have a probable client interested in a new website, to replace one that's probably 8-10 y.o. He mentioned that they use MS Sharepoint, and I've looked at the relevant MS web pages.

How much does this affect my ability to do a website in my standard tool, Dreamweaver? Would I need to use Sharepoint instead?

They have a very simple website with minimal content, so I don't know why they need such a high-end system.

Looks to me like it's more for corporate collaboration, and they're just a small university department. Content seems to change infrequently and minimally.

But I don't want to argue against using it until I understand what their rationale might be. Especially because both the director of the dept. and the IS director want to meet with me.

Thanks!

Any thoughts?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 5/9/2008 at 12:09 PM Accepted
    Here are some articles on topic:

    https://www.eggheadcafe.com/software/aspnet/30321166/is-dreamweaver-cs3-com...
    https://www.dmxzone.com/showDetail.asp?TypeId=25&NewsId=8415
    https://searchwindevelopment.techtarget.com/news/article/0,289142,sid8_gci1...
    https://groups.google.com/group/macromedia.dreamweaver/browse_thread/thread...
    https://www.thesug.org/community/Lists/General%20Discussion/Flat.aspx?RootF...
    https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080115071013AAijhN8

    As for why they require it, it's the tool they've probably licensed. If you develop in Dreamweaver, then they'll also need to license that for future (in-house) maintenance.
  • Posted by Levon on 5/9/2008 at 12:12 PM Accepted
    I looked into it and you need to have your own server as well as 2008 Microsoft Server Edition. There are plenty of inexpensive alternatives and depending on the size of the files that you are working on there are free options also available. Adobe has their own version of Sharepoint for products like Dreamweaver -- but they are also very pricey. Using an old fashion FTP or online storage space might be a route to consider.
  • Posted on 5/9/2008 at 12:44 PM Author
    Levon, they already have their SP infrastructure. Best case, they'll be willing to abandon it. Worst case, they'll expect me to deliver something that works within it. Either way, I won't be hosting anything.
  • Posted by melissa.paulik on 5/9/2008 at 5:47 PM Accepted
    I used to work at Microsoft (in the Business Apps group)and Sharepoint was great for corporate collaboration. I could envision it for cross company collaboration if you needed to work with agencies and business partners on documents. However, I can't possibly imagine it being used for a prospect facing website.

    Of course, I haven't used Sharepoint for a couple of years, so things may have changed. However, I doubt Microsoft would have gone that direction with the product.
  • Posted on 5/11/2008 at 7:30 PM Accepted
    Well, Levon and Melissa are both wrong - SharePoint doesn't require anything that a typical website would require except for a database; even that is pretty typical.
    Also, SharePoint 2007 is definitely is capable of hosting public facing websites. Check here for a list of over 200 corporations using SP to host their internet presence: https://www.wssdemo.com/Pages/websites.aspx

    As far as development goes - forget dreamweaver. You'll need to use SharePoint Designer, and the tools built into the SharePoint UI. The whole platform is WebDAV enabled so there is no FTP.

    Developing sites and pages in SharePoint is certainly different from standard web development, but once you get into it you'll find it quite empowering to leverage all of the components in the box - don't forget about webpart development too.

    Good luck with your project.
  • Posted on 5/12/2008 at 4:00 PM Author
    I can't imagine why this prospect needs a database -- it's a small organization, a small website, and things don't change on it much -- and the question of hosting of no interest to me.

    I generally develop a website by starting with a blank "canvas" and designing, organizing, and writing to meet their goals.

    If I'm lucky, they'll not be wedded to SP and I can do my work with relative freedom. If they insist on it, I'll have to decide whether I can make the work cost-effective for them and profitable for me.
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 5/19/2008 at 9:07 PM Accepted
    I think the point of MOSS 2007 (SharePoint) is to use it to manage the content and provide a range of Web 2.0 functionality components.

    Why not call Microsoft and get a meeting with a salesperson who understands both Sharepoint and web applications, who can help point you in a direction where you can offer your client something within their preferred parameters, while allowing you to shine in your area of expertise?

    Hope that works out for you.

    ChrisB
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