All websites have to be maintained in order to be sustained on the live web. An over-complicated web application will not only degrade more quickly and be more expensive to maintain, it will likely be even more difficult to preserve as an application. Unless the focus of the project is experimental technology, use technologies and programming languages that will be easily supported by technical staff. Do not unnecessarily overcomplicate the infrastructure and code. A helpful reference to building sustainable projects is the University of Victoria’s Endings Principles for Digital Longevity.
These guidelines may also be helpful when considering publication software:
2. General considerations for designing or selecting publication platforms
3. Favor existing standards