by I would like to use an open-source environment for all aspects of an
upcoming Web development effort: page layout/authoring, server
development and hosting, and testing with at least one full-featured
browser. The application will combine elements of content, community,
and E-commerce, so much of the back end will be custom-written, but
I'm open to mixing and matching code generated by, or even components
supplied by, existing off-the-shelf development tools.
(a) Is this a dumb idea? For example, does NT provide significantly
better authoring tools?
(b) Where can I find pointers to the available Linux-based
Web-application authoring and development tools?
(c) Are some of the better tools available under Linux themselves
closed-source?
(d) Is Netscape's browser now FULLY open-source on Linux and/or NT?
If not, is there a full-featured, stable open-source alternative?
What about other essential components like the JDK and Java
runtime -- are they still freely licensable in full source?
(e) Any other caveats or advice?
Thanks for any pointers and specific suggestions/insights.