4 ms·

Web development is still that simple if you want it to be. Nothing is stopping you from writing for the web like it's 1991 if that's all you feel is necessary f

Web development is still that simple if you want it to be. Nothing is stopping you from writing for the web like it's 1991 if that's all you feel is necessary for your site.

WalterSear 10y ago
While I agree that a genuinely static site should be written as such, I'm not writing websites that were possible in 1991, and I don't see why I should have to, to get simplicity and productivity: we've come a long way since then. So, I did a little bit of work to simplify my set up(s) and then to make it useful to others.
- vectorpush 10y ago
  I'm not making a normative claim, my only point was that the same technology that worked 20 years ago still works today and it's the developer's fault if they don't like the tools they've chosen to use.
  - WalterSear 10y ago
    Well sure, but while I agree that the length and breadth of the toolchain has become stupidly long, the demands of today aren't the demands of yesterday. Take my VR boilerplate, for an extreme example: what are you supposed to use instead, VRML? :)
blub 10y ago
Unfortunately the web development profession has decided to shoot itself in the face and make framework-oriented development mandatory. I mean sure, one can still build sane web projects, just don't expect to be able to get a job doing that and do expect to be mocked as some sort of luddite. I am sort of curious if this pile of complexity will at some point implode, but mostly I am happy that I got out of webdev when I did. Today's web development is making a mockery of the ideas of usability, accessibility and standards.
- Silhouette 10y ago
  I mean sure, one can still build sane web projects, just don't expect to be able to get a job doing that and do expect to be mocked as some sort of luddite. When we build web apps for clients, they generally don't care what tools we use as long as the results are good. There's still plenty of work out there like this and there are still plenty of success stories. You just have to avoid the parts of the industry, particularly around the startup scene, where most developers have just a few years of experience and are heavily influenced by high profile online commentary. That type of business tends to hire buzzword-compliant people because even their own "senior" developers don't have enough experience to know any better.
  - Fifer82 10y ago
    You just have to avoid the parts of the industry, particularly around the startup scene, where most developers have just a few years of experience and are heavily influenced by high profile online commentary. This is a great piece of advice.
- vectorpush 10y ago
  >Unfortunately the web development profession has decided to shoot itself in the face and make framework-oriented development mandatory Frameworks are commonly used across many programming industries. It's also not any framework's fault that the PM (or you) chose the wrong framework. >just don't expect to be able to get a job doing that and do expect to be mocked as some sort of luddite. I've never heard anyone mocked as a luddite for using the simplest solution necessary to meet requirements, that sounds like something programmer's are complimented for (if they can show results). If you want a job where the employer uses a trendy framework... just learn the framework; it's either that or learn the company's hand-rolled framework, at least with a trendy framework you're also investing in potential future prospects.
JustSomeNobody 10y ago
>Web development is still that simple if you want it to be. Starts off nice... >Nothing is stopping you from writing for the web like it's 1991 if that's all you feel is necessary for your site. Then you get that little jab in there.
- vectorpush 10y ago
  It's not a jab or a judgement, it's a statement of fact to illustrate the point that technology from 1991 still works perfectly fine today and that nothing about today's technology prevents you from using technology from 1991 or any time if that is the best solution for your project.

Web development is still that simple if you want it to be. Nothing is stopping you from writing for the web like it's 1991 if that's all you feel is necessary for your site.

WalterSear 10y ago

While I agree that a genuinely static site should be written as such, I'm not writing websites that were possible in 1991, and I don't see why I should have to, to get simplicity and productivity: we've come a long way since then. So, I did a little bit of work to simplify my set up(s) and then to make it useful to others.

vectorpush 10y ago
I'm not making a normative claim, my only point was that the same technology that worked 20 years ago still works today and it's the developer's fault if they don't like the tools they've chosen to use.
- WalterSear 10y ago
  Well sure, but while I agree that the length and breadth of the toolchain has become stupidly long, the demands of today aren't the demands of yesterday. Take my VR boilerplate, for an extreme example: what are you supposed to use instead, VRML? :)

blub 10y ago

Unfortunately the web development profession has decided to shoot itself in the face and make framework-oriented development mandatory. I mean sure, one can still build sane web projects, just don't expect to be able to get a job doing that and do expect to be mocked as some sort of luddite. I am sort of curious if this pile of complexity will at some point implode, but mostly I am happy that I got out of webdev when I did. Today's web development is making a mockery of the ideas of usability, accessibility and standards.

Silhouette 10y ago
I mean sure, one can still build sane web projects, just don't expect to be able to get a job doing that and do expect to be mocked as some sort of luddite. When we build web apps for clients, they generally don't care what tools we use as long as the results are good. There's still plenty of work out there like this and there are still plenty of success stories. You just have to avoid the parts of the industry, particularly around the startup scene, where most developers have just a few years of experience and are heavily influenced by high profile online commentary. That type of business tends to hire buzzword-compliant people because even their own "senior" developers don't have enough experience to know any better.
- Fifer82 10y ago
  You just have to avoid the parts of the industry, particularly around the startup scene, where most developers have just a few years of experience and are heavily influenced by high profile online commentary. This is a great piece of advice.
vectorpush 10y ago
>Unfortunately the web development profession has decided to shoot itself in the face and make framework-oriented development mandatory Frameworks are commonly used across many programming industries. It's also not any framework's fault that the PM (or you) chose the wrong framework. >just don't expect to be able to get a job doing that and do expect to be mocked as some sort of luddite. I've never heard anyone mocked as a luddite for using the simplest solution necessary to meet requirements, that sounds like something programmer's are complimented for (if they can show results). If you want a job where the employer uses a trendy framework... just learn the framework; it's either that or learn the company's hand-rolled framework, at least with a trendy framework you're also investing in potential future prospects.

JustSomeNobody 10y ago

>Web development is still that simple if you want it to be. Starts off nice... >Nothing is stopping you from writing for the web like it's 1991 if that's all you feel is necessary for your site. Then you get that little jab in there.

vectorpush 10y ago
It's not a jab or a judgement, it's a statement of fact to illustrate the point that technology from 1991 still works perfectly fine today and that nothing about today's technology prevents you from using technology from 1991 or any time if that is the best solution for your project.