I have this idea for a web application and I think with the right group (*cough* Mike and Colin who are extrememly busy) it could be done in a single weekend. Then I started to think about a lot of the web 2.0 apps out there now and I am starting to think that most of them could be done in a weekend and now I’m curious as to how long it took for these applications to be developed.

Also, why don’t you see more efforts from small groups to just have marathon sessions where they scratch an itch so to speak and pump something out? Hosting is basically free along with domain names so the only investment is time. I know time is a big thing for a lot of people, but if you can’t sacrifice enough hours to build something quickly then you have bigger fish to fry.

What happens if the application is a flop? Just move on and create another one. I’m sure this type of stuff happens all the time, but I never hear about it. Does anyone have any stories about these kinds of things? I think that would be totally awesome and a cool kind of geek rush.

Of course I don’t code or design anymore so I would just be along for the ride on IM continually pressing refresh to see the progress of the project. But I can live with that.

Originally posted on February 23, 2006 @ 4:07 am

First I am not going to tell you why you should or should not use a WYSIWYG editor. I am going to say my thoughts on why we should hand-code our pages.

To learn how anything works in this world most of the time you have to dig into the guts of it. You can not sit there and look at it and figure out what little intricacies make it tick. I can not look at a computer and tell you how it works. I could read a book and then tell you, but how could I tell you how much thermal grease should really be applied to a cpu/heatsink without having done so myself? If you want to understand your page then you have to make it…by hand.

Painting With A Purpose

Every artist has a story behind their painting. They can tell you that every stroke has a purpose. Nothing is ever done just for the sake of doing it. When you hand code your pages every item you add is added for a purpose. You take a greater sense in what you are doing and have a greater understanding of your own pages. Your work should be your own and if you do not understand it then it never becomes your own.

Typewriters Are Evil

I have a theory about classical literature. I believe that there are more classical works and will always be more classical works written before the typewriter than there ever will be after. The reason I believe this is because writers had to take more care into what they put down on paper before the typewriter came about. They could not waste too many resources on unnecessary words. When they wrote the first “T” in “The” to start the novel they knew why they did it. They felt the “T” being written and therefore immersed themselves in their own novels. Their works truly became their own. You can never get to that level of immersion with a typewriter or word processor. You can not get to that level with a WYSIWYG editor.

Power and Control

Hand coding your pages gives you unprecedented control over where each element appears on the page. You control where each element goes. You control how your code is formatted. You have the power.

There Is A Time And A Place

I am not saying that you should write out every single XHTML page on your site. It would be silly to hand code a hundred headers when all you need to do is write one header and simply include it in all of your files. I hand coded my header and side bar for this site. I hand coded the templates to every page and therefore I know what makes this site tick. I do not hand code my entries because there is no need. MoveableType does this work for me. The site is coded and now automated for me so that I can focus on the content that I write (be it through a keyboard). My entries usually only consists of a <p> here and a <h2> there.

I never understood why schools make their students design pages through WYSIWYG editors. I am sure there are reasons, but to me it is like teaching someone how to paint by numbers. If you really want to be good and gain an appreciation for your own hard work then hand coding is where it is at. After you become somewhat knowledgeable in XHTML/CSS then by all means find the best tool for production.

Originally posted on September 20, 2005 @ 12:02 pm

CSS-based designs are becoming all too popular in many websites these days. Without taking the time to fully examine what “semantics” are doing to a website, many designers are making the switch to CSS-based design, simply because it is what the popular action to take is. Tabular layouts are often rendered more correctly than CSS/division layouts, take less time to debug due to this, are just as accessible (if not more accessible) to non-graphical clients, help organize the code of a page more effectively, and are just as standards-compliant as “semantic” layouts when coded properly. For these reasons, I feel that it is important to take a new look at using tables to design websites, and perhaps even make recommendations to the W3C to create new tags that will help designers organize and manage websites even more efficiently than tables can.

Standards are useful. Semantic markup are pointless.

[Read more…]

Originally posted on September 1, 2005 @ 1:39 pm

Many people have discovered the joys and advantages of pursuing a career as a software engineer. It is a good thing people are pursuing it because the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that software developers can expect 24 percent growth around the country over the next decade. However, with so many people pursuing degrees in software engineering, there is a lot of competition. Even after you get a degree, you still need to land your first job, and here are some tips to keep in mind during the job hunt.

1. Write a Stellar Resume and Cover Letter

In general, you do not want to send the exact same resume to every job you apply for. The reason is that different hiring managers will want different things out of applicants even if both jobs are for software engineers. Therefore, you need to customize your resume and cover letter to exactly what the employer wants. You can get a good sense of what the hiring manager is looking for by reviewing the job listing at length. You should also review your application multiple times to ensure it is free of spelling or grammatical errors.

2. Network With Professionals in the Field

There are many online job boards where you can find open positions, but you can also learn about new opportunities through networking. Many people are hesitant to attend networking events, especially if they are introverted. It is important to remember never to feel intimidated because a lot of other people are probably just as nervous as you. Set a goal to meet three or four people and even if you do not get any leads for software engineer jobs in Seattle, you improve upon your social interaction skills.

3. Prepare for a Technical Interview

You should prepare for a standard interview where the hiring manager asks you questions such as “What is your biggest weakness?” However, you should also prepare for the more technical aspects of the interview. The employer may ask you to write out some code on the whiteboard, and you do not want this to take you by surprise.

4. Create a Portfolio

In addition to a resume and cover letter, you also want to make a portfolio displaying some of the projects you have worked on in the past. Ideally, the projects will be similar to the ones you will have to do at this company if you get the job. For instance, if you apply to be a software developer for apps, then it would be advantageous to have at least one app to show.

5. Do Not Worry

When on the job hunt, it is easy to feel stressed. However, as long as you put in your due diligence, you really have nothing to fear. There is a high demand for software engineers at the moment, so you are bound to find a great company eventually that wants to hire you. Additionally, once you get your foot in the door at one business, it will become much easier to get other jobs in the future.

Originally posted on October 9, 2018 @ 10:08 am