Join us in exploring the world of modern development, evolving technologies, and the art of future-proof software
Summary: Do you rely on outside developers for your application development? Would you like to give your current employees the tools they need to develop web apps in-house? Learn how one company accomplished all that (and more)!
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How to turn your employees into web app developersRead More »
Summary: Technology is evolving at breakneck speed. No one knows what the development landscape will look like in 5 or 10 years. How can you create enterprise applications that stand the test of time…when you don’t know what lies ahead? This article lists 7 tips to help you create applications that last.
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Summary: As technology evolves, web application development is playing an increasingly important role in the business world. More and more, application development speed directly contributes to a company’s competitive advantage. The problem: Many companies still struggle in this area. Learn which problems slow them down, and how to fix each one.
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Summary: As web application development evolves, it’s playing an increasingly important role in the business world. More and more, application development directly contributes to a company’s competitive advantage. How has web application development changed, and where is it going? Learn more in this article.
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Summary: What is a “productive developer,” and how do you become one? If you’re a developer, or if you run a team of developers, this article defines the term and offers some actionable tips to improve development productivity.
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5 simple tactics to boost development productivityRead More »
Summary: As web application development plays an increasingly important role in the business world, many companies aren’t keeping up. They’re stuck using old development standards and haven’t yet adapted to modern principles. In this article, you’ll learn which rules developers should follow, and which mistakes they must avoid.
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In an article last week, we explored the growing IT “Skills Gap” problem. Employers say they’re having more and more trouble finding qualified workers with modern skills.
Why?
While the reasons vary, one big complaint surrounding the issue is the idea that students aren’t learning the appropriate skills in college. They come out of school completely unprepared for the skills demanded by the business world.
While that might be the case, I believe it’s a two-part problem. On one hand, some schools teach outdated technical skills. But, on the other hand, many of the skills required in business only come with experience.
Take web application development for example. A developer might learn technical skill in college, yet be completely unprepared for the real world. He/she might breeze through school, yet struggle to adapt to development in business. Why?
Web application development in the business world is far more than technical skill. It’s about solving problems. It’s about creating solutions that adapt. It’s about communication. I’d say that the lessons a developer learns outside of school are arguably more important than the technical skills learned in school.
What lessons are those? We posed that question to some experienced developers, who delivered some excellent advice. I’ve outlined their input below, along with some of my own thoughts under each point. Sound good? Okay, here are 9 web development lessons you won’t learn in school, yet are critical to your success:
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9 critical lessons web developers won’t learn in schoolRead More »
What makes a “productive developer?”
That question came up in a recent article, and I think it’s worth exploring. Generally speaking, productivity correlates directly with speed. With developers, however, it’s different. Speed doesn’t necessarily equal productivity.
For instance, suppose a developer completes a project in half the time expected. Is that developer productive? It depends. Does the application meet the specs? Is it usable? Is it secure? Will it scale up with the company? Will it adapt to future needs? I could go on.
As you see, the term “productive developer” isn’t clear cut. A “fast” developer that creates complex, unmaintainable applications isn’t productive. Quite the opposite, in fact. I’d argue that a “productive developer” is one who builds applications the right way, in the most efficient manner possible. In other words, productivity = speed + quality.
The next logical question: What makes a “quality” application? Is it one that delivers on the specifications? I believe it goes far beyond that. A quality application is one that’s built for both the present and the future. It adapts to changing technology, solves the user’s long-term needs, grows with the business, and is easily maintainable.
So, how can developers build quality applications? It starts with an understanding of modern web development principles. These principles will help developers create successful applications–those that meet their user’s present and future needs, and adapt to the ever-changing tech trends. While this isn’t a comprehensive list by any means, here are 7 important principles of modern web application development:
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