How do you keep a massive website updated with new developers?

So I am looking to hire some web developers in a month or so to make a MASSIVE new site. The problem (I forsee) is that I need to make sure the code is universal eg: Any new coder can pick it up and also that I can hire new coders and they can continue patches or updates or just building the site easily. This is a fear of mine and I'd appreciate tips on where to look for coders and how to overcome getting new coders if need be or finding a firm.

I appreciate your responses immensely!

One of the technique is to make them use a known architecture like Joomla, Wordpress and so on. Code should be well commented too... Custom projects are harder to look into if you are not the original developer.

n Never go for new coders

g0g0l said:

One of the technique is to make them use a known architecture like Joomla, Wordpress and so on. Code should be well commented too... Custom projects are harder to look into if you are not the original developer.

n Never go for new coders

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How can I make the custom project easier to pass from one to another? Make sure they donj't password anything or? I only have rudimentary knowledge of html etc

Well in my opinion there is no point reinventing the wheel. Architectures like Joomla, Drupal etc already have the basics done for your developer to take advantage of. IF you still need something custom, make sure you hire an experienced developer who is comfortable with MVC patterns. It will be much more easier to handle, if MVC is followed. In that case, the business logic is separated from the views. Put stress on MVC and Code documentation when you create the project documents.

macaveli92 said:

How can I make the custom project easier to pass from one to another? Make sure they donj't password anything or? I only have rudimentary knowledge of html etc

Click to expand...

I moved the thread here so it can get more exposure to the programmers

To add my 2 cents:

Make sure you use a VCS, preferably Git. this way all code changes are archived and documented (who did what & when + a streamlined way for multiple developers to work in parallel and be able to combine their work).

Make sure you enforce a specific set of best practices (e.g. MVC, OOP).

Make sure you enforce a specific code style (e.g Zend, PEAR, Symfony). This makes it much easier for future modifications by another coder.

jazzc said:

I moved the thread here so it can get more exposure to the programmers

To add my 2 cents:

Make sure you use a VCS, preferably Git. this way all code changes are archived and documented (who did what & when + a streamlined way for multiple developers to work in parallel and be able to combine their work).

Make sure you enforce a specific set of best practices (e.g. MVC, OOP).

Make sure you enforce a specific code style (e.g Zend, PEAR, Symfony). This makes it much easier for future modifications by another coder.

Click to expand...

Thank you Jazzc this is exactly what I need to wrap my head around, acronyms. xD Seriously, that is perfect. I know enough to know that my code will use wordpress as a base but probably operate outside its limits alot, especially the users having log in accounts they can do things from. Thanks for your replies!

+1 for Version Control. I missed the point

jazzc said:

I moved the thread here so it can get more exposure to the programmers

To add my 2 cents:

Make sure you use a VCS, preferably Git. this way all code changes are archived and documented (who did what & when + a streamlined way for multiple developers to work in parallel and be able to combine their work).

Make sure you enforce a specific set of best practices (e.g. MVC, OOP).

Make sure you enforce a specific code style (e.g Zend, PEAR, Symfony). This makes it much easier for future modifications by another coder.

Click to expand...

Well, I'd suggest you to hire at least one very experienced developer who used to work on massive projects before. In case you hire a lot of low-paid newbies, all those buzzwords like git,oop,mvc won't make a difference. They need to know how to use them to be effective and not to mess the whole thing.

For instance, you just can't simply start using git. You need to have some branching model, workflow (See http://nvie.com/posts/a-successful-git-branching-model/).

It's a bit controversial topic, but it would be a good idea to have all the architecture designed using UML. That way, all the new developers who join the project later will have less pain getting through the code.

Lastly, I'd like to add that building just a site and a massive site is a whole lot different, so hire wisely.

version control is key - ensure that your devs are working on different modules, rather than working independently working on the same modules - or you'll quickly end up in a right mess, with conflicts lefts right and centre. Good project management is more important than whether its custom or off-the-shelf...