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If your skillset is HTML + CSS then you're not a developer. You're more of a web designer. Or a masochist if you're actually trying to code with it (being turn

If your skillset is HTML + CSS then you're not a developer. You're more of a web designer. Or a masochist if you're actually trying to code with it (being turning complete).

jonny_eh 5y ago
If anything, a software engineer is more likely to reach for a CSS library like Bootstrap instead of designing and implementing their own styles.
- radicalbyte 5y ago
  There are plenty of people who call themselves "frontend developers" whose skill set is: HTML, CSS + image editor (photoshop, indesign or whatever the current fad is).
  - ratww 5y ago
    This kind of position is still pretty common in the enterprise and enterprise-centric consulting shops. Sometimes those developers are also called "designers" or "web designers" (despite doing more development/image editing than design itself). Btw, often the job-title is given by the company. Makes it kinda hard for developers to progress their careers.
Lammy 5y ago
Reminds me of all the times I've seen licensed engineers gatekeep the word "engineer" from us computer people :)
mdbauman 5y ago
I once had a "Lead Frontend Developer" who mostly did HTML and CSS (and was quite good at it) and could get by with jQuery to do various visual effects. We had a large contract to maintain a site that used AngularJS, and he convinced all the higher-ups that writing all the frontend code was my job because "Angular is more of a backend thing." I don't think I'd consider this guy a frontend developer given that he couldn't be bothered to learn a framework that falls within his job description. But we also had a UX team to actually design the visuals, so I don't think I'd put him in the designer camp with them either. What was he? "Lead CSS Guy?"
pcthrowaway 5y ago
If your skillset is HTML+CSS, I think you can still be more of a developer than a designer. Someone else gives you mockups and you implement them. HTML+CSS can get you pretty far in a lot of cases without any JS required, though since HTML5, the spec includes interfaces to the Javascript APIs, as well as a whole bunch of stuff for accessibility. I enjoyed this post from a few months ago which helps give you a sense of the depth of HTML: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27080348 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27080348 . This person didn't even dive into the spec, just the MDN docs. To contrast this, a designer is someone who does things like visual branding and consistency, creating assets like logos, background images, maybe even vector graphics, and device breakpoints. HTML and CSS are also complex enough that you can even spend a significant time specializing in one/both.

If your skillset is HTML + CSS then you're not a developer. You're more of a web designer. Or a masochist if you're actually trying to code with it (being turning complete).

jonny_eh 5y ago

If anything, a software engineer is more likely to reach for a CSS library like Bootstrap instead of designing and implementing their own styles.

radicalbyte 5y ago
There are plenty of people who call themselves "frontend developers" whose skill set is: HTML, CSS + image editor (photoshop, indesign or whatever the current fad is).
- ratww 5y ago
  This kind of position is still pretty common in the enterprise and enterprise-centric consulting shops. Sometimes those developers are also called "designers" or "web designers" (despite doing more development/image editing than design itself). Btw, often the job-title is given by the company. Makes it kinda hard for developers to progress their careers.

Lammy 5y ago

Reminds me of all the times I've seen licensed engineers gatekeep the word "engineer" from us computer people :)

mdbauman 5y ago

I once had a "Lead Frontend Developer" who mostly did HTML and CSS (and was quite good at it) and could get by with jQuery to do various visual effects. We had a large contract to maintain a site that used AngularJS, and he convinced all the higher-ups that writing all the frontend code was my job because "Angular is more of a backend thing." I don't think I'd consider this guy a frontend developer given that he couldn't be bothered to learn a framework that falls within his job description. But we also had a UX team to actually design the visuals, so I don't think I'd put him in the designer camp with them either. What was he? "Lead CSS Guy?"

pcthrowaway 5y ago

If your skillset is HTML+CSS, I think you can still be more of a developer than a designer. Someone else gives you mockups and you implement them. HTML+CSS can get you pretty far in a lot of cases without any JS required, though since HTML5, the spec includes interfaces to the Javascript APIs, as well as a whole bunch of stuff for accessibility. I enjoyed this post from a few months ago which helps give you a sense of the depth of HTML: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27080348 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27080348 . This person didn't even dive into the spec, just the MDN docs. To contrast this, a designer is someone who does things like visual branding and consistency, creating assets like logos, background images, maybe even vector graphics, and device breakpoints. HTML and CSS are also complex enough that you can even spend a significant time specializing in one/both.