Apache Solutions Ltd specialise in developing professional Web Sites, from Database-driven Portals to E-Commerce and WAP sites. We are happy to take on anything from a single page static site to a fully-featured Portal with discussion forums, on-line polling, search facilities, WAP integration, news bulletins and so on.

Doing the job properly:

If there is one aspect of web design that really sets the men from the boys it has to be how the HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) code is created. A lot of web designers take the easy approach by using visual design tools such as Dreamweaver™ or FrontPage™. These are essentially code generator programs that write the HTML code for you.

"In our opinion tools like Dreamweaver™ or FrontPage™ are totally unsuitable for developing professional Web Sites due to the poor quality of HTML code that they generate" - Adam Vahed (Managing Director of Apache Solutions Ltd).

We NEVER use visual tools to generate the HTML or JavaScript code - All of our HTML/JavaScript is 100% hand-coded for optimal efficiency and maximum cross-browser support. Each page is rigorously validated against the current standards to ensure that it is totally error-free. This approach undoubtedly involves more work on our part, however we feel that it is well worth it because of the improvement in quality that results from it.

The same philosophy is applied to other aspects of a Web Site's design too. For instance each graphical image on the page is carefully optimised for the web by applying image compression techniques to obtain the smallest possible file size without sacrificing the quality of the image. This results in sites that are quick to load, even on slower connections.

We always test each site on the two most popular browsers; Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, and we aim to write code that is compatible with both the latest browsers and older browsers, at least two major versions back. In this way we ensure that each Web Site that we develop can be viewed by the widest possible audience.

Interactive features such as discussion forums and on-line polling are developed according to the client's exact requirements using the most appropriate solution, rather than the common approach of finding the cheapest bolt-on solution (which invariably means compromising on the features that can be provided).

And finally, we always endeavor to use the most appropriate technology for a site. For instance we have used Macromedia Flash to great effect on a number of sites, however we also realise that it is not suitable or appropriate for all sites.

Database-driven sites:

Our solution employs tried and tested technology from the world's largest and most successful software company, Microsoft. The same solution is used on the Microsoft web site itself, the Tesco's web site and many others.

We use a combination of ASP (Active Server Pages) and JavaScript to control Microsoft SQL Server™ databases. We have evaluated many alternative solutions, such as Filemaker™, Cold Fusion™ and Java with JDBC and have found none to rival the speed, flexibility and power of the 'ASP/JavaScript/SQL Server' solution.

It is important to ask the following questions in order to compare alternative solutions:

	Is a proprietary language used ? Our solution is based on JavaScript, generally recognised as the standard language for the Internet. Any changes to the core language definition are tightly controlled, unlike proprietary languages which may be changed or even dropped altogether without notice.
	Can the database cope with multiple connections reliably ? Our solution uses Microsoft's SQL Server database, a fully fledged SQL Server as opposed to a file based relational database such as FileMaker™ or dBase that are not designed for a web based environment.
	Does the solution rely on a great deal of client-side processing ? Our solution bases the processing largely on the server-side, with client-side code used only for simple form validations. Solutions that employ only client-side code run the risk of failing when accessed with older Browsers.
	Does special software have to be installed on the web server ? Our solution uses features provided by the Web Server software itself, IIS (Microsoft Internet Information Server), so no external programs need to be purchased or supported.

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