Ask HN: Need help determining how to build my project

I'd like to create something similar to a family tree online app (like geni.com). I'm unsure what languages I should use to build it with. My IT strong points aren't in programming and this project is going to require me to sit down and learn some languages. My problem right now is that I don't know what languages I should use.

So with the idea of a family tree online app in mind here are some of the specifications. - I do not want to use flash. - The app needs to be zoomable and scrollable (sort of like google maps) - The app needs to be able to add content without reloading the page. Perhaps there's a little "+" sign and when I click it, I can add a tag/title/description/picture - The app needs to be able to save your work for that user to retrieve later on. - The layout that a user is able to create in is sort of widget based where the user can add a new bubble and then in that bubble they are able to add text or content.

I started programming this with HTML5 canvas and Javascript, but I'm stuck on creating a connection to the database that isn't directly from Javascript (because that seems very insecure to me). But I'm not just stumped on how to interact securely with the database, but also I'm concerned that I won't be able to build out the app with just javascript and may need something else like ajax or something but I'm unfamiliar with what each language does now.