The Creation

This year's website was a tedious project. Throughout the process, there were probobly in upwards of 15 different layouts and designs in both HTML and Flash. The design you see now was not finalized until the week of the submission deadline. It was very difficult to find something simplistic and clean, yet colorful and pretty. We think we nailed it.

Moving away from the visual aspects, the CMS (content management system) was is also student built. No 3rd party open (or closed) source projects here. Strictly our own in-house creations. Although rather simplistic and comparatively featureless, it serves its purpose exactly as intended. We needed a fast, easily maintanable engine that is scalable, portable, and easily customizeable. Written in PHP, it utilizes MySQL database technology resulting in fast content delivery.

The content in years past has been rather dry and incomplete. In response to our inability to win a website award last year, we have dramatically increased the amount and quality of content on the website. Much of the content came from members that usually have nothing to do with the website, but have made their mark this year and have donated their time to supplying supplying the site with substance.

The Creator

For 3 years now, Matt has done the bulk of the team's web development. Hist first team website in 2005 won 2nd place overall at the South's BEST regional competition. That same year, the website won Best Website at the FIRST Florida Regional. Since that year, SigmaC@T has yet to win another website award. Matt has made sure that this year's website is better than ever before and will be a top contender in this year's award considerations. In addition to the team websites, Matt has developed the SOAP websites for the past 3 years, which serve the entire FIRST community with global scouting information, match videos, and results.

Matt has been doing freelance web development since his freshman year and specializes in scalable database-driven websites and design. Matt has partnered with Christian from Team 408 (Roboticks), and Danny, a SigmaC@T Alumnus. Individually, they are just a bunch of developers, but together, they are known as TextualMint (TM). TM is a web development startup which began in the summer of 2006. Currently, the group is on hiatus due to the overwhelming amount of schoolwork they all have.

History

2007

2007's website fills in all the gaps in 2007. A beautiful design, excellent content delivery, and pure robotics information should be enough to capture another webstie award.

Frontend: HTML, CSS
Backend: PHP, MySQL
Host: DreamHost
Main Features: Sleek layout, LOTS of content, fast engine

2006

2006 was a year for change. Flash was a thing of the past -- Web2.0 has been here for a while. We tried to develop a reasonably pleasing layout. Unfortunately, the content was lacking which ultimately meant no award.

Frontend: HTML, CSS
Backend: PHP, MySQL
Host: CybexHost
Main Features: Web2.0 Layout, Super wide images

2005

The 2005 website focus for us was interactivity. Right from the start, the user was presented with pleasureable animations, thumpin' music, and strait forward content. This website brough home two awards.

Frontend: Flash, HTML
Backend: None
Host: CybexHost
Main Features: Flash, music

Photographer: Jessica

Miraculously we were able to coax Jessica away from her duties as an orchestra student to be a the team's official photographer. Ever since kickoff, she has been snapping photos constantly whenever she can, capturing the true essence of SigmaC@T. Just about all images of the 2007 season were taken by her, and we owe her our deepest appreciation. Never before have we been so well documented.