I'm completely new to web programming but I do have a programming background. I'd like to create a site that allows users to visit, enter some specifications into a form, submit the form, and then receive a graph.

I have a few questions about this, only because I'm pretty ignorant:

1. Is there a good framework I should start in? I know a lot of java, I'm okay with python, and I learned Ruby in the past. I figure I might use ruby on rails only because I hear of it so often and I think I've also heard it's easy. If anyone has some other recommendation, please suggest.

2. The user will be entering data into a form. I'm guessing the request they'll be making should be one of a GET request, right? Because I don't intend for any of the data they're entering to modify my server (in fact, I don't intend on having a database).

3. The data the user inputs will be used to perform calculations involving lots of matrices. I've written this functionality in python. If I use ruby on rails, should it be instead written in Ruby?

4. Somewhere I've heard that you can either place the load of the work on your server or on the client's computer. Since the code performs heavy math, which option is preferable? How do I alter the setup to either make the client do the work or my server? Should I be using a "cgi-bin"?

5. In the code that I have now, I use matplotlib, a python library, and then "show" the plot in order to see the graph. I specify the x and y limits, but I am able to "drag" the graph in order to see more data within the plot window. Ultimately, I want a graph to be shown on my site with the drag functionality. Is this possible? What if the client drags the graph so far, more computations must be made?

Thanks!