4 ms·

Ummm....shouldn't a programmer make their own? Dumb question I know.

ochenvoysim 7y ago
The website isn't representing their work, the portfolio within is. There's the opportunity cost of the construction vs pre-built. I write smart tv applications for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, etc. I'm not a web dev nor do I pretend to be one. However, I would like videos and descriptions of my work displayed in the nicest way possible, like this. If every dev had to only use the code which only they created, this entire industry would grind to a halt. All of these criticisms about looking down on people using the same theme for a portfolio site just sends up all kinds of flags about their understanding of the software industry in general, and their hiring practices / company culture. I'm guessing many of you "can't find good devs" or keep devs for very long. It's like judging a job applicant on their tie instead of their resume.
- ChickeNES 7y ago
  Yes! You made my point, but much clearer. You want employees who can and will use every available resource, instead of making everything from scratch.
sdrothrock 7y ago
Not all programmers are competent web developers or designers. Some may not see it as worth the time investment; others may not have an aesthetic sense that jives with the majority's.
rgoulter 7y ago
I think people want it to look fancy, rather than just plain: http://motherfuckingwebsite.com/ http://motherfuckingwebsite.com/ Most people don't benefit very much from having prettily-designed websites.
- Skunkleton 7y ago
  motherfuckingwebsite has google analytics. kind of surprising imo.
  - varjag 7y ago
    Makes it noncompliant with GDPR too. Tho maybe one could argue the exemption for personal use here.
    - Skunkleton 7y ago
      I am happy to ignore the word of the law here, and focus on intent. The whole ethos of the website implies that it is just an HTML page. Pulling in google is misleading. I don't like it.
rikroots 7y ago
As a new joiner to the Freelance Web Developer pool, building myself a portfolio website is on my list of things to do - but, honestly, I'm struggling with some very basic questions: - Do I want the site to demonstrate the areas of coding I most enjoy (eg HTML5 canvas)? Or should I use it as a glossy form of CV which I can use to impress potential clients? - Do I want it to act as a simplistic (single-page) calling card? Or should I be looking to use it more as an interactive hub aiming to do stuff like gather contacts, generate discussion on blog posts (which I could submit/share on HN, LinkedIn, Twitter) etc, etc. - What tech should I be choosing to demo to visitors? If I go for a React front end is that going to put off potential clients with Vue projects I could work on? If I want to attract bread-and-butter work should I be looking to demo a Wordpress site with a home-built theme and plugins? Do I want to show off my skills with 3rd Party APIs? At the moment I'm thinking of doing a minimalistic HTML site hosted in an AWS S3 bucket, with a picture of my cat above a big CTA button saying "Hire my human!" and a couple of links to my GitHub and LinkedIn accounts. At least it'll be easy to maintain and easy to replace once I'm clearer on the areas of work I want to focus on.

The website isn't representing their work, the portfolio within is. There's the opportunity cost of the construction vs pre-built. I write smart tv applications for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, etc. I'm not a web dev nor do I pretend to be one. However, I would like videos and descriptions of my work displayed in the nicest way possible, like this. If every dev had to only use the code which only they created, this entire industry would grind to a halt. All of these criticisms about looking down on people using the same theme for a portfolio site just sends up all kinds of flags about their understanding of the software industry in general, and their hiring practices / company culture. I'm guessing many of you "can't find good devs" or keep devs for very long. It's like judging a job applicant on their tie instead of their resume.

ChickeNES 7y ago
Yes! You made my point, but much clearer. You want employees who can and will use every available resource, instead of making everything from scratch.

sdrothrock 7y ago

Not all programmers are competent web developers or designers. Some may not see it as worth the time investment; others may not have an aesthetic sense that jives with the majority's.

rgoulter 7y ago

I think people want it to look fancy, rather than just plain: http://motherfuckingwebsite.com/ http://motherfuckingwebsite.com/ Most people don't benefit very much from having prettily-designed websites.

Skunkleton 7y ago
motherfuckingwebsite has google analytics. kind of surprising imo.
- varjag 7y ago
  Makes it noncompliant with GDPR too. Tho maybe one could argue the exemption for personal use here.
  - Skunkleton 7y ago
    I am happy to ignore the word of the law here, and focus on intent. The whole ethos of the website implies that it is just an HTML page. Pulling in google is misleading. I don't like it.

rikroots 7y ago

As a new joiner to the Freelance Web Developer pool, building myself a portfolio website is on my list of things to do - but, honestly, I'm struggling with some very basic questions: - Do I want the site to demonstrate the areas of coding I most enjoy (eg HTML5 canvas)? Or should I use it as a glossy form of CV which I can use to impress potential clients? - Do I want it to act as a simplistic (single-page) calling card? Or should I be looking to use it more as an interactive hub aiming to do stuff like gather contacts, generate discussion on blog posts (which I could submit/share on HN, LinkedIn, Twitter) etc, etc. - What tech should I be choosing to demo to visitors? If I go for a React front end is that going to put off potential clients with Vue projects I could work on? If I want to attract bread-and-butter work should I be looking to demo a Wordpress site with a home-built theme and plugins? Do I want to show off my skills with 3rd Party APIs? At the moment I'm thinking of doing a minimalistic HTML site hosted in an AWS S3 bucket, with a picture of my cat above a big CTA button saying "Hire my human!" and a couple of links to my GitHub and LinkedIn accounts. At least it'll be easy to maintain and easy to replace once I'm clearer on the areas of work I want to focus on.