JHacker said:
Is there a way to have a song play on a page and change content without stopping the song without using Flash (and not using frames)?
If the page changes, it will reload the player. So it would need to be in a frame. Personally, I'm not a fan of frames. The alternative to this would be using java to open a small player in a new window, but pop-up windows are generally annoying. Regardless, it's always best to allow the end user to control as much of the experience as possible. If they want to hear some tunes, let them turn them on. If they want to increase their font size, let them. Etc.
JHacker said:
What would you suggest I learn next after CSS and HTML? What would be the most helpful to me as a web designer?
After you read Zeldman's book, Php and MySql. They both go hand in hand.
Don't worry about ASP and .Net, or Cold Fusion. They're proprietary, and not every box can run what they require.
Dabble with Flash and action script (Flash's scripting language) a bit, the more knowledge you have never hurts.
Might want to look a PERL a bit, just in case you have a need for it.
You'll also want to play with Photoshop as well.
Then there's always Ruby on Rails and Cake as well. Even some C++, cocoa might be fun down the road.
For starting with Php/MySql, don't overlook the open source community. It's a wealth of knowledge and learning opportunities just waiting for you to tap. Start out with something simple, like disecting a new mod for
SMF or a similar project. Then, find a need in their community, and write your own mod. Along with some good reading material as well. Be sure to study multiple coding styles, as most people write their code a little different. In an environment like SMF's, they set guidelines for mod's, etc. Doesn't necessarily mean that's the only way to do it, it's just the method they want used for adding to the codebase. There's other open source web projects out there as well, this was simply an example.
Php by itself doesn't have to interact with MySql either. However, when it does, that's when its true power can be utilized to serve fully dynamic content.
There's tons of things you can learn, but getting a good, solid foundation with HTML, (x)HTML, CSS, Php, and MySql will get you headed in the right direction and give you a great aresenal of capabilities as well. From there, you'll find what you like and write your own path.
But remember to start with Zeldman's book first, and never stop learning.
