M
Mario T. Lanza
Greetings Web Design Enthusiasts and Professionals,
I have a question that deals with one's resume and the skills it
offers. Imagine that you are a firm looking to hire someone to do a
very high-end site. You are not as concerned with the precise
technologies that your candidates have as much as you are concerned
with their ability to produce a professional, polished result that
meets your requirements.
I am evaluating my skillset and determining what areas lack and where
I should focus my educational efforts to fill the gaps.
For example, take Active Server Pages (ASPs). This is merely one
server-side technology for dynamically generating markup. An equally
valid counterpart would be PHP. Some may even prefer it over ASP.
The point is, a person can have one skill (ASP) or the other (PHP) to
meet one particular need of web design and development (generating
dynamic database-driven content and online applications).
With my current skillset I regularly make use of:
Server-side dynamic content: ASP
Client-side dynamic content: Javascript, VBScript, DOM, DHTML
Markup: HTML/XHTML
Data access: ADO
Presentation: CSS
Database: MS Access or SQL Server (based on side of app)
Web standards: guiding priniciples, not so much a technology
As far as I can tell, I have been able to meet the needs of the
clients I have worked for using this skillset.
I have developed Windows applications on the .NET framework and plan
on taking advantage of ASP.NET and ADO.NET in an upcoming web
development project.
As I mentioned, I realize that there are numerous substitutes for the
various technologies listed. PHP for ASP. XSL for CSS. MySQL for MS
Access. Therefore, I'm not looking to argue which of the comparative
technologies is better except where significant technological
advancements clearly makes one superior to the other. For example,
ASP.NET in my understanding is far more powerful than ASP 3.0.
Therefore, moving on from ASP to ASP.NET seems like a wise step
forward from obsolescence, but only because ASP.NET in not an
equivalent technology but a superior one.
Futhermore, here are some things lacking from my skillset:
I limited exerience with Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop. As a result I
lack digital design skills. Futhermore, I have no expertise with
Flash (or Shockwave). As a result I lack skills with dynamic effects.
I realize that Javascript programming can reproduce some of the
effects produced by Flash, but since the manhours required to
duplicate Flash effects would be greatly increased, using Javascript
and the DOM is an inferior technique. Flash wins out.
I hope you can see where I am going. I looking merely to come up with
a definitive list of skills that any professional web developer ought
have for the purpose of periodically assessing one's skills and
identifying gaps.
Here's what the working list. Please add to it as you see fit. If
there is a better name for the category please correct me. I won't
mind.
1. Server-side dynamic content (such as ASP)
2. Client-side dynamic content (such as Javascript, VBScript, DOM,
DHTML)
3. Markup (such as HTML/XHTML)
4. Data access (such as ADO, ADO.NET)
5. Presentation (such as CSS, XSL)
6. Database (such as MS Access, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL)
7. Web standards (as taught by Zeldman -- www.zeldman.com)
8. Digital/Graphics design (such as Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop)
9. Digital Motion Media (such as Flash or Shockwave)
Obviously there are many more. One might even list "Writing" as skill
as web content should be authored with polish and style. In any case,
I'm looking more for a technological skills grab bag. What are the
most useful tools in your grab bag and why? What technologies did you
consider a godsend in that they made your life so much easier?
I wouldn't even mind if people were to list minor technologies that in
practice are superior. For example, I wrote script to produce some
sophisticated functionality on some of my on-screen inputs. Later, I
learned how to create HTML Components (with an HTC extension). The
methodology made it FAR EASIER to plug in functionality. Using script
alone, it was more of a cut'n paste and edit effort. Therefore,
learning HTC is very worthwhile. Unfortunately, I later discovered it
wasn't readily integratable into other browsers like Firefox. The
final point, the best technologies to list should be readily supported
by most popular browsers. Thank goodness for server-side technologies
where this is not an issue!
Thanks for your valued input.
Mario T. Lanza
Clarity Information Architecture, Inc.
2004.10
I have a question that deals with one's resume and the skills it
offers. Imagine that you are a firm looking to hire someone to do a
very high-end site. You are not as concerned with the precise
technologies that your candidates have as much as you are concerned
with their ability to produce a professional, polished result that
meets your requirements.
I am evaluating my skillset and determining what areas lack and where
I should focus my educational efforts to fill the gaps.
For example, take Active Server Pages (ASPs). This is merely one
server-side technology for dynamically generating markup. An equally
valid counterpart would be PHP. Some may even prefer it over ASP.
The point is, a person can have one skill (ASP) or the other (PHP) to
meet one particular need of web design and development (generating
dynamic database-driven content and online applications).
With my current skillset I regularly make use of:
Server-side dynamic content: ASP
Client-side dynamic content: Javascript, VBScript, DOM, DHTML
Markup: HTML/XHTML
Data access: ADO
Presentation: CSS
Database: MS Access or SQL Server (based on side of app)
Web standards: guiding priniciples, not so much a technology
As far as I can tell, I have been able to meet the needs of the
clients I have worked for using this skillset.
I have developed Windows applications on the .NET framework and plan
on taking advantage of ASP.NET and ADO.NET in an upcoming web
development project.
As I mentioned, I realize that there are numerous substitutes for the
various technologies listed. PHP for ASP. XSL for CSS. MySQL for MS
Access. Therefore, I'm not looking to argue which of the comparative
technologies is better except where significant technological
advancements clearly makes one superior to the other. For example,
ASP.NET in my understanding is far more powerful than ASP 3.0.
Therefore, moving on from ASP to ASP.NET seems like a wise step
forward from obsolescence, but only because ASP.NET in not an
equivalent technology but a superior one.
Futhermore, here are some things lacking from my skillset:
I limited exerience with Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop. As a result I
lack digital design skills. Futhermore, I have no expertise with
Flash (or Shockwave). As a result I lack skills with dynamic effects.
I realize that Javascript programming can reproduce some of the
effects produced by Flash, but since the manhours required to
duplicate Flash effects would be greatly increased, using Javascript
and the DOM is an inferior technique. Flash wins out.
I hope you can see where I am going. I looking merely to come up with
a definitive list of skills that any professional web developer ought
have for the purpose of periodically assessing one's skills and
identifying gaps.
Here's what the working list. Please add to it as you see fit. If
there is a better name for the category please correct me. I won't
mind.
1. Server-side dynamic content (such as ASP)
2. Client-side dynamic content (such as Javascript, VBScript, DOM,
DHTML)
3. Markup (such as HTML/XHTML)
4. Data access (such as ADO, ADO.NET)
5. Presentation (such as CSS, XSL)
6. Database (such as MS Access, SQL Server, Oracle, MySQL)
7. Web standards (as taught by Zeldman -- www.zeldman.com)
8. Digital/Graphics design (such as Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop)
9. Digital Motion Media (such as Flash or Shockwave)
Obviously there are many more. One might even list "Writing" as skill
as web content should be authored with polish and style. In any case,
I'm looking more for a technological skills grab bag. What are the
most useful tools in your grab bag and why? What technologies did you
consider a godsend in that they made your life so much easier?
I wouldn't even mind if people were to list minor technologies that in
practice are superior. For example, I wrote script to produce some
sophisticated functionality on some of my on-screen inputs. Later, I
learned how to create HTML Components (with an HTC extension). The
methodology made it FAR EASIER to plug in functionality. Using script
alone, it was more of a cut'n paste and edit effort. Therefore,
learning HTC is very worthwhile. Unfortunately, I later discovered it
wasn't readily integratable into other browsers like Firefox. The
final point, the best technologies to list should be readily supported
by most popular browsers. Thank goodness for server-side technologies
where this is not an issue!
Thanks for your valued input.
Mario T. Lanza
Clarity Information Architecture, Inc.
2004.10