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I guess I just haven't been able to comprehend the usefulness of what node.js does and the potential it has. I'm planning on moving back to the bay area soon an

I guess I just haven't been able to comprehend the usefulness of what node.js does and the potential it has. I'm planning on moving back to the bay area soon and I've heard that developers with ruby skills have not had a hard time at all getting job offers. My thinking was that having an understanding of PHP and ruby would be a pretty good combo for a backend developer but I guess learning JavaScript with node.js would give me some front end experience as well

taylorbuley 16y ago
For me Node is useful when you need a non-blocking HTTP server. I'm currently working on a stats/analytics thing, and it works as the API layer between Mongo and incoming requests. I believe geolocation data company Simplegeo does something similar in terms of API glue in front of Cassandra. It's most definitely not a sledge hammer, but it's a great tool for your stack.
gexla 16y ago
It would be interesting to see how the different languages stack up in getting jobs in the bay area. The bottom line is that web application developers in general are getting lots of job offers there (assuming that Ruby developers aren't having a problem.) I couldn't see a situation where all the Ruby developers there are getting snapped up and a glut of PHP developers are being left out in the cold. In the world of freelancing, I'm certainly not seeing a lack of work for PHP developers, though you have to cut through a lot of noise to find the decent jobs (still not lacking though) I would think that your general skills as a developer would be important. Versatility and productivity with your tools is probably important. If you have that down, then I imagine you could easily pickup the same with a different language. Edit: I also wonder if it's any good to have a job in the bay area making $90K+. That's an expensive area to live in, I think I would be just as happy freelancing for half that (or just as much) from a cheaper area. However, it also seems to be the mecca for developers, so maybe that's all you need as an excuse. ;)

taylorbuley 16y ago

For me Node is useful when you need a non-blocking HTTP server. I'm currently working on a stats/analytics thing, and it works as the API layer between Mongo and incoming requests. I believe geolocation data company Simplegeo does something similar in terms of API glue in front of Cassandra. It's most definitely not a sledge hammer, but it's a great tool for your stack.

gexla 16y ago

It would be interesting to see how the different languages stack up in getting jobs in the bay area. The bottom line is that web application developers in general are getting lots of job offers there (assuming that Ruby developers aren't having a problem.) I couldn't see a situation where all the Ruby developers there are getting snapped up and a glut of PHP developers are being left out in the cold. In the world of freelancing, I'm certainly not seeing a lack of work for PHP developers, though you have to cut through a lot of noise to find the decent jobs (still not lacking though) I would think that your general skills as a developer would be important. Versatility and productivity with your tools is probably important. If you have that down, then I imagine you could easily pickup the same with a different language. Edit: I also wonder if it's any good to have a job in the bay area making $90K+. That's an expensive area to live in, I think I would be just as happy freelancing for half that (or just as much) from a cheaper area. However, it also seems to be the mecca for developers, so maybe that's all you need as an excuse. ;)