ALL D1J1T ARTICLES

Tips for New Programmers

Date Posted: Feb 12, 2015 at 11:59 am

The goal of this article is to offer tips for new programmers.

This article will NOT cover programming language syntax specifics or attempt to teach any programming language in particular. Rather it is meant to give tips to those learning a language for the first time in order to save them time.

Why are you programming?

Is it for a class? For a job? For fun? To complete a personal project or website? Note that I started programming for fun and still do, though also for wo ... read more

Java Programming Overview

Date Posted: Feb 12, 2015 at 11:55 am

The goal of this article is to provide an introduction to the basics of programming in Java. It is written with no assumptions of prior programming experience and in a sense meant as a "crash course" to enable quick learning.

Let's Not Waste Time

Before we dive right in, let's ensure you're not wasting your time here. If your goal is to learn how to make a web page, you should learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript, (probably in that order) and for more advanced web programming, lea ... read more

XML (eXtensible Markup Language)

Date Posted: Feb 9, 2015 at 1:54 pm

The goal of this article is to provide a simple overview of the features of XML.

If you aren't already familiar with HTML, be sure to read that overview first. XML has similar "tag" syntax like HTML, though it allows users to create their own tags. It does not replace HTML however.

XML has the sole purpose of structuring and allowing data to be delivered on many different systems by many various applications. That's it. By itself, it is almost u ... read more

OOP Power

Date Posted: Feb 9, 2015 at 1:43 pm

This intent of this article is to provide an overview of the power and importance of Object-Oriented Programming.

A Brief Programming History Lesson

Don't worry, I'm not going all the way back to the punch card days. Before OOP, if writing programs was a bit of a nightmare, updating them was a full on night terror. Most early programming types are linear. The control flow of the program is easy to trace. The problem is that all of the data was stored in the same place. Thi ... read more

Mobile Application Types

Date Posted: Feb 9, 2015 at 1:39 pm

Web, Native, or Hybrid?

Interested in have a mobile application developed for your company or website? Your first step should be to decide which of these basic types to choose. The reason for this is simple: time and cost. If your company has an unlimited budget, I'd recommend developing a native mobile application for each mobile device OS and then move on to another article of interest.

For the rest of us, both time and cost are huge determ ... read more

Know Your Browsers!

Date Posted: Feb 9, 2015 at 1:37 pm

Imagine your application running perfectly, through every stage of development. You confidently deliver it to the client, then get aconfusing response. The client calls stating that the application isn't running properly? What?!?!?

This happens more than one would think. Many are already aware of certain different browser specifics even, and STILL find out that that one or more HTML tags or CSS properties aren't supported for the specific browser and version the client is using. Thi ... read more

JavaScript Overview

Date Posted: Feb 9, 2015 at 1:27 pm

Not to be mistaken with Java, JavaScript is not a stand-alone language. Rather it is typically embedded and used with other languages (most often with HTML & CSS).

Though it has server-side applications, most often, JavaScript is used on the client-side and for manipulation of the DOM (Document Object Model). JavaScript is object- oriented and can select/target elements in order to alter them in real time as the user interacts with the site.

JavaScript has become so v ... read more

IDEs (Integrated Development Environments)

Date Posted: Feb 9, 2015 at 1:07 pm

IDEs (Integrated Development Environments) & software tools/utilities in general can either greatly enhance the efficiency of development (as intended) or create a potentially unnecessary new learning curve for an established programmer who may already have intimate knowledge with other comparible or perhaps even better IDEs, software and methods.

If this is the case, more than likely, said developer should be able to pick up the software relatively quickly given that he or she is p ... read more

HTML 5, CSS 3, & JavaScript

Date Posted: Feb 9, 2015 at 1:04 pm

If you mention HTML, CSS, or JavaScript in your office, chances are, most of your employees will know that you're referring to web programming languages. What most of them probably won't know however (depending on your field of course) is the history and evolution of these three languages.

I can remember when using nested HTML tables for layout was commonplace, though resolution, browsers, systems were a problem, often rendering code differently. I remember using tags that are now long ... read more

HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) Overview

Date Posted: Feb 9, 2015 at 9:47 am

The goal of the article is to provide a simple overview of the features of HTML. If you are new to web programming, this is a great first step! Though get ready to tackle MANY more advanced languages in order to accomplish all that you desire on the web... HTML is a language that is based on tags. In comparison to other languages, and in my opinion, it is actually quite simple. It it used to define the general structure of elements within a web document.

Due t ... read more

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) Overview

Date Posted: Feb 9, 2015 at 9:40 am

* Note: Although HTML and CSS are often learned at the same time, it may still be best to first read the overview of HTML, then come back to this overview.

HTML defines the general content of a web page. CSS, as its name implies, defines the style and formatting of that content. Also as the name implies, the styles cascade, are inherited; and their different sources have a particular priority to which they are applied.

All browsers support CSS. It is a sta ... read more

The Importance of Audio

Date Posted: Mar 4, 2014 at 9:46 am

Most websites don't contain any audio.

Various reasons exist for the lack of sound. Some include, bandwidth, file types/sizes/compatibility with systems/browsers. Another reason however may be that your web programmer might not be familiar with the proper implementation of audio within a web page. As with video, sometimes its just a matter of embedding the file. Other types, and probably in most cases, the company simply didn't budget (or even consider) audio for their website. But why? W ... read more

Programmers Should Know Basic Graphics!

Date Posted: Mar 4, 2014 at 9:44 am

Graphics designers and web programmers often have complimentary skill sets. You'll even see certain programming skills (like HTML) on an artist's resume and (Photoshop) on a programmer's.

It is very important for a programmer to know certain specifics about graphics design. I need to preface this by saying that I am by no means a graphics designer per se. I do however, know Photoshop in and out, Fireworks, Illustrator and InDesign. I am also familiar with 3D tools such as Blender and 3DSMax. ... read more

Web programmer, designer, developer?

Date Posted: Mar 4, 2014 at 9:39 am

These titles are sometimes used synonymously in the field. When I first starting helping companies with their web presence, it was almost always assumed that I'd be doing the programming, graphics, managing the host server software, technical writing, all of it. I'd ask clients, "Do you have any photos that I can use?" "Any mail marketing materials?" "Logo graphic at least please?"

Today most companies, even small business owners have a better understanding of why developing websites should ... read more

Tips for Programmers New to Management

Date Posted: Mar 4, 2014 at 9:39 am

Let's assume that you are the director of web development or overseeing programming for a large corporation. Let's also assume that you have some experience and knowledge with the technologies used for the product in development. Finally, let's assume that you understand most of what the programmers are telling you. It is crucial that you have already have established a method of communication that is quick in order to resolve current issues, concerns or question(s). If you are bombarding your lead ... read more

Tips for Managers of Developers

Date Posted: Mar 4, 2014 at 9:37 am

You've been tasked with overseeing the development division of your expanding company. How do you even begin if you aren't a developer? (Please pardon the stereotypes, but) many programmers and developers are often... well... different. They may be extremely introverted to the point of being anti-social sometimes. They speak odd languages full of acronyms, and they make jokes amongst themselves that only they "get" or that are somehow encrypted in their most current, favorite form of pigla ... read more

Distractions Diminish Developer Effectiveness

Date Posted: Mar 4, 2014 at 9:34 am

Serious programmers need solid blocks of time to produce at their best. Speaking from experience, some of my most productive work has been accomplished in the evening. Every distraction, be it a phone call, a web chat ping from a co-worker, a web conference or meeting (also the time required right before to properly prepare to present specifics), random office chatter, helping co-workers, answering questions, time required for quoting/estimating/documentation/logging time/and other non-programmin ... read more

SQL (Structured Query Language)

Date Posted: Mar 1, 2014 at 9:41 am

The goal of the article is to provide a simple overview of the features of SQL.

*** If you are new to programming and your goal is to learn this language, I'd recommend learning HTML first. SQL is often used in a web page in conjunction with several other languages, the least of which is HTML. A scripting language like PHP, ASP, or JSP is also used to deliver SQL code to and from a database. Though the syntax may be simple, the implementation requires other skills. ***

read more

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor)

Date Posted: Mar 1, 2014 at 9:38 am

The goal of the article is to provide a simple overview of the features of the PHP programming language.

*** If you are new to programming and your goal is to learn this language, I'd recommend learning HTML first. ***

PHP contains and renders HTML code. (Also CSS & JavaScript)

A basic understand of web programming using HTML should be gained first in order to understand basic page structure and in turn, be able ... read more

Social Networking

Date Posted: Feb 23, 2014 at 9:40 am

Though I have established accounts with many social networks, I personally don't keep up with them. In fact I find that they waste a lot of my time when I actually attempt to keep them updated. So why should your company bother with social networking?

Popularity, More Exposure, & Search Engines

Given the time, I would keep up with them. I recognize the fact that I could use a dedicated employee to take care of updating the social networks daily, not just Facebook, Twitter, and the big ... read more

Content Management Systems

Date Posted: Feb 14, 2014 at 9:32 am

Choosing the best software to use for your initial website can be a daunting task, even for developers. We know that once a site is established, it can be difficult to go other routes or customize certain aspects. This is the main reason why I'd recommend taking the time to thoroughly evaluate your opinions before choosing.

For this small site, I decided to not use a Content Management System for several reasons. I am a web developer and simply prefer programming to making updates via an ad ... read more