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I really like that idea and I understand that this is aimed specifically at the friend mentioned on the site so it takes their technical ability into account bu

by dewey 12y ago

I really like that idea and I understand that this is aimed specifically at the friend mentioned on the site so it takes their technical ability into account but I think for most people who are struggling with basic tasks like these instructions like > Create a directory to hold your website and cd into it. would already confuse them. Now that you already got that nice domain I think I'd be great to have a guide like that aimed at beginners with more detailed instructions. I could see this as a great resource to link friends who always thought about getting their own little site, even if it's just a page listing their contact details.

libria 12y ago
Can't you create and edit files directly on github.com? If so, this could be done without a CLI.
jamesknelson 12y ago
I also built a tutorial around the same idea a few weeks ago, with a similar domain name, but aimed more at complete beginners than this site. My target audience would be graphic designers who want to get into web design, but don't have a clue where to start. I stopped after writing one article because I didn't get much interest, but then I didn't put much work into publicising it either. If people found it useful I'd certainly like to keep adding to it until it explains how to go from never having programmed to building a website which can take payments. You can find it at http://makethispage.com/chapter-1.html http://makethispage.com/chapter-1.html
- sebkomianos 12y ago
  I am one of the worst people to give advice on "finishing" but you should definitely go on with this, it's a very good idea that can expand beyond your limited target audience (= just graphic designers). The web is full of "general" purpose tutorials for html, css, js, etc and this "general purpose" becomes "no purpose" in the end. If I am this random person that wants to learn how to make a website, I don't really care about learning all the details of the particular tools at this point, I care mostly about building what I want and "deploying". Then, maybe, I'd like to make it better, prettier, faster, etc etc. Your guide seems to attack this.
seanwilson 12y ago
If the reader isn't able to at least create directories in the terminal then Git and GitHub Pages will be way beyond their comfort level. If they're just wanting a simple blog or landing page and not interested in the background details, they'd be better off looking at something like Tumblr or a WordPress host.
Swizec 12y ago
At what point do you define a beginner then? I struggle with this a lot when writing teaching materials. It feels like teaching somebody how to create a directory should not be a part of teaching somebody how to make a website. Beginner or not. You should already know how to use a computer. It's like when I'm trying to teach people how to do X and Y with JavaScript and they get confused beyond hope when they try to run `grunt watch` and it fails because they haven't created a file yet. Like, just wait, you'll create the file in the next step. It's not the end of the world if something throws an error. You're supposed to be a programmer, jeezus.
- DanBC 12y ago
  You're blaming the students. Is it a possibility that the fault lies with you?
  - Swizec 12y ago
    Obviously the fault lies with me. The problem I'm having is exactly the question I opened with: where do you draw the line? How do you draw the line? At what point do you say "You know what, a beginner should know this"? Or whatever the specific level you decide to teach at. Personally I try to teach at levels above beginner. This only makes the line blurrier because there's no clear divide between someone who kinda knows his stuff and someone who's an expert. It's the same problem as putting rocks in the same place. At what point does a bunch of rocks become a pile? Same here, at what point does a total beginner become just a beginner? When do they become not a beginner? What turns them into someone who kinda knows what they're doing? At what point do they become "actually kinda good"? For instance: my mum can accomplish all her work tasks with a computer. But she has no conceptual idea of what is a file. She thinks in documents and she only knows how to open documents by going through the app she created them with. The attachments in her email are a completely different world than the ones she creates with Word directly. I once blew her mind by showing her that she can use Word to open something that was sent to her via email. How would you teach her how to make a dynamic HTML5 JavaScript app? Or would you suggest some basic computer use classes first? Or, for another example, my girlfriend always gets frustrated with me because I can't just "Explain How Everything in Computers Works. How Does a Source File Turn Into A Working App?" in under five minutes. How do you even begin answering a question like that? Do I claim magic, or start with turing machines and work her way up to formal grammars and compilers? She's asking a question so far beyond her understanding that I don't even know how to begin answering.

by dewey 12y ago

libria 12y ago

Can't you create and edit files directly on github.com? If so, this could be done without a CLI.

jamesknelson 12y ago

I also built a tutorial around the same idea a few weeks ago, with a similar domain name, but aimed more at complete beginners than this site. My target audience would be graphic designers who want to get into web design, but don't have a clue where to start. I stopped after writing one article because I didn't get much interest, but then I didn't put much work into publicising it either. If people found it useful I'd certainly like to keep adding to it until it explains how to go from never having programmed to building a website which can take payments. You can find it at http://makethispage.com/chapter-1.html http://makethispage.com/chapter-1.html

sebkomianos 12y ago
I am one of the worst people to give advice on "finishing" but you should definitely go on with this, it's a very good idea that can expand beyond your limited target audience (= just graphic designers). The web is full of "general" purpose tutorials for html, css, js, etc and this "general purpose" becomes "no purpose" in the end. If I am this random person that wants to learn how to make a website, I don't really care about learning all the details of the particular tools at this point, I care mostly about building what I want and "deploying". Then, maybe, I'd like to make it better, prettier, faster, etc etc. Your guide seems to attack this.

seanwilson 12y ago

If the reader isn't able to at least create directories in the terminal then Git and GitHub Pages will be way beyond their comfort level. If they're just wanting a simple blog or landing page and not interested in the background details, they'd be better off looking at something like Tumblr or a WordPress host.

Swizec 12y ago

At what point do you define a beginner then? I struggle with this a lot when writing teaching materials. It feels like teaching somebody how to create a directory should not be a part of teaching somebody how to make a website. Beginner or not. You should already know how to use a computer. It's like when I'm trying to teach people how to do X and Y with JavaScript and they get confused beyond hope when they try to run `grunt watch` and it fails because they haven't created a file yet. Like, just wait, you'll create the file in the next step. It's not the end of the world if something throws an error. You're supposed to be a programmer, jeezus.

DanBC 12y ago
You're blaming the students. Is it a possibility that the fault lies with you?
- Swizec 12y ago
  Obviously the fault lies with me. The problem I'm having is exactly the question I opened with: where do you draw the line? How do you draw the line? At what point do you say "You know what, a beginner should know this"? Or whatever the specific level you decide to teach at. Personally I try to teach at levels above beginner. This only makes the line blurrier because there's no clear divide between someone who kinda knows his stuff and someone who's an expert. It's the same problem as putting rocks in the same place. At what point does a bunch of rocks become a pile? Same here, at what point does a total beginner become just a beginner? When do they become not a beginner? What turns them into someone who kinda knows what they're doing? At what point do they become "actually kinda good"? For instance: my mum can accomplish all her work tasks with a computer. But she has no conceptual idea of what is a file. She thinks in documents and she only knows how to open documents by going through the app she created them with. The attachments in her email are a completely different world than the ones she creates with Word directly. I once blew her mind by showing her that she can use Word to open something that was sent to her via email. How would you teach her how to make a dynamic HTML5 JavaScript app? Or would you suggest some basic computer use classes first? Or, for another example, my girlfriend always gets frustrated with me because I can't just "Explain How Everything in Computers Works. How Does a Source File Turn Into A Working App?" in under five minutes. How do you even begin answering a question like that? Do I claim magic, or start with turing machines and work her way up to formal grammars and compilers? She's asking a question so far beyond her understanding that I don't even know how to begin answering.