[Off Topic] Any "web applicaiton developers" out there?

[David Gileadi]

Jason Mills wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> This is extremely off topic, but this newsgroup is the one that I'm the 
> most familiar with, and all regular posters seem to be friendly and have 
> insights I respect, so I thought I would post it here.
I'm not a regular poster, but I do web application development and I'm a 
fan of D, so hopefully I qualify.  For some background, I've done web 
development in several Java web frameworks, in .NET using C#, and in 
old-fashioned ASP.  I've also done a couple of Flash applications, 
communicating with a server via web services.  My non-web development 
has been in Java/Swing, C++/MFC, some COM using ATL, some VBA, etc.
> 
> I have an opportunity to change the type of software development I do 
> from developing desktop (some client/server) engineering/scientific 
> applications to developing web applications (J2EE, JSP, HTML, PHP, 
> Databases, etc). I'm doing some research to help determine if web 
> application development is for me.
> 
> If you are or were a web application developer, or have an interest in it:
> 
> - Do you enjoy that type development and why?
I do enjoy it--in the end, it's all development, and it's fun to solve 
problems and make cool new things, which is why I enjoy development in 
the first place.
> 
> - Do you find web application development technically challenging? What 
> type of challenges do you face?
It is definitely technically challenging.  There are three kinds of 
challenges that I see:  With web applications you're always using some 
kind of web framework, and so one challenge is figuring out the 
frameworks and how to use them.  Another challenge is the same challenge 
you face in any development--how to build a good architecture, solve 
complex problems (some specific to the web), etc.  And a third challenge 
is how to make a good friendly UI on the web, which simultaneously a lot 
more flexible and a lot less flexible than the desktop.  Depending on 
what you enjoy, some of these may appeal to you more than others.
> 
> - What do you spend most of your time doing? HTML/CSS, programming 
> (Java, C#, PHP), SQL, managing databases, etc.?
Most of my time is spent programming; less time (but still a significant 
amount) is spent with HTML/CSS and a little time with SQL.  Of course 
this depends on the frameworks you work with--some mandate more time 
with HTML/CSS, some less--and of course on the kind of project you're 
attached to.  Often companies will have a separate graphic designer who 
creates the HTML and CSS for you, which you then have to alter to add 
code to.
> 
> - Do you see a strong future in web application development?
I do.  I've noticed a shift (and maybe it's my imagination, based on the 
projects I've been on personally) from "traditional" web applications to 
applications with little or no UI which allow companies to communicate 
via web services.  But I think that "traditional" web apps are going to 
be around for a long time.
> 
> - Why are you attracted to D if you are web application developer?
First, it's just a very cool language, which (as Mango seems to prove) 
could easily be used on the web; second, although I currently do web 
programming I'd like to end up doing desktop development, which D is 
perfect for.
> 
> If you are more like me (desktop applications, systems programming):
> 
> - Would you ever consider doing web application development? Why or why 
> not?
> 
> One of my biggest fears is that I would lose my edge as a "hard core 
> programmer solving technically challenging problems". Is this a 
> legitimate fear?
I think it's legitimate, depending on what you enjoy.  It's like moving 
from MFC in C++ to WinForms in C#--the framework starts doing a lot for 
you.  Web frameworks have similarly improved so that modern frameworks 
handle a lot of the plumbing and you use built-in library functions to 
do most of your work.  However, there are still the challenges of 
building a good architecture and solving domain problems, as well as 
web-specific issues such as scalability and session management, which 
most frameworks don't tend to solve very well.  Those challenge are 
satisfying to me, but it depends on what you enjoy about development.
> 
> Any other comments are welcome. If you have some resources you like to 
> share to help make my decision, please do so.
Good luck on whatever you choose.  I hope my comments have helped; if 
not, please forgive me for spamming the board.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Jason