Comments on: 10 “Must-have” skills for Front-End Developers

By: What should a Front End Web Developer be? « GC Log

What should a Front End Web Developer be? « GC Log — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:44:38 +0000

[...] Some blogs shortlisted several programming skills a front end web developer should master, including beside basic HTML, CSS, but also various web programming language, subversion, database, SEO etc. And some stands on an opposite side declaring as a Front End Web Developer, that person should have know only standard HTML coding, CSS, cross-browser-support technique, accessibility, usability of a web site in addition of JavaScript for candy visual features. It comes to an interesting point that some people even get into debating about who is right, who is wrong in defining the nature of such role. http://www.impressivewebs.com/10-nice-to-have-skills-for-front-end-developers/ http://unscriptable.com/index.php/2009/05/19/10-must-have-skills-for-front-end-developers/ [...]

By: Sinisa

Sinisa — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:07:34 +0000

I am working as a frontend developer for 5 years now. I don’t have a half skills that you mentioned in your post so I guess in your eyes I am rank amateur. In my company (and many others too) frontend developers don’t need to know so much backend stuff (if any). My daily workflow is to convert PSD/PNG to cross-browser standard compliant XHTML/CSS/Javascript web sites. When I’am done backend developer starts to work. Somethimes backend developers need design updates – then I am doing that job (so I need to know Fireworks, Photoshop, Ilustrator and good web desing principles). I also need to know WCAG and how to test web sites to be WCAG compliant – that is also a must for frontend developer. I see my job as a link between IA world – design world – backend world so i need to know something from all of this worlds.

By: Uxebu.com - JavaScript addicts » 10 “Must-have” skills for Front-End Developers

Fri, 29 May 2009 07:05:39 +0000

[...] 10 “Must-have” skills for Front-End Developers [...]

By: [Other Blogger]

[Other Blogger] — Thu, 21 May 2009 05:54:24 +0000

@Rebecca, I understand your point, and I agree. But when I say that someone “only knows HTML and CSS”, I mean someone that gets paid to do those things, and may not know a lot of other technologies or languages in-depth.

Your comparison is about a person that gets paid to build things out of wood and a person that does it for fun. That is not an appropriate comparison for what is being discussed here.

Whether you like it or not, there are people who get paid to be front-end developers but who don’t have as many skills as you or John! )

I think it would have been great to see John post a mature, well-articulated response to my article, without all the drama. I’m always willing to learn and correct my views.

(And for the record, I do agree with John about the ROR section, but as far as everything else, he misses the point completely.)

By: Rebecca Murphey

Rebecca Murphey — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:20:40 +0000

@[Other Blogger] A front-end developer is not anyone who works on the front-end anymore than a carpenter is anyone who builds stuff out of wood. Sorry.

By: [Other Blogger]

[Other Blogger] — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:13:28 +0000

Rebecca is absolutely right, however, like John she is basically saying that a person who only knows HTML and CSS is not a front-end developer. That is a very opinionated statement and is not agreed upon by all.

A front-end developer is essentially anyone that works on the front end. John is absolutely right: True front-end developers should have much more than what I listed. But I’d be interested to see John’s own list of nice-to-haves, and a job posting that agrees with him — then maybe I’ll concede his points!

By: [Other Blogger]

[Other Blogger] — Wed, 20 May 2009 21:35:16 +0000

John is not getting the point of the article I posted. And frankly, John, there are more mature ways to make your point.

The point of my article was that knowledge and experience in those different areas are usually not listed as “must have” skills on Front-End developer job postings. They are commonly listed as “nice to haves”. So I outlined a bunch of them as best I could.

In no way am I claiming to have a full understanding of the need for those technologies.

But you cannot say that having knowledge and experience in those areas is not going to improve a Front End Developer’s marketability.

And again, your bizarre claim that a “rank amateur” is in your opinion not a developer, is exactly that: your opinion.

I think you made some good points, John, but you really are lacking an understanding in the purpose of my post.

Your comments on SEO show precisely how you’ve missed the point. You’re basically saying that it’s better to not know advanced SEO techniques than to know advanced techniques. That is quite interesting!

By: Rebecca Murphey

Rebecca Murphey — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:50:02 +0000

I want to second John’s opposition to denigrating front-end developers as clueless pixel-pushers. Quality front-end developers excel on the client side, but also have a firm grasp of the server side and development tools and best practices. Quality managers know that front-end developers do more than just convert pretty PSDs to HTML and CSS.

IMHO, the original post wasn’t targeted at “front-end developers” at all — it was targeted at people with a passing knowledge of HTML and CSS who like to call themselves front-end developers. Businesses hire those folks at their peril — and then they pay real front-end developers to clean up the mess.

By: John H

John H — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:10:03 +0000

Ha ha. Thanks a lot, Eric.

By: Eric Polerecky / DetroitPro

Eric Polerecky / DetroitPro — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:08:28 +0000

I have to agree with [Other Blogger] all “FRONT-END developers” I’ve ever met are nothing more then rank amateurs….