Web developer evolution

WEB FRAMEWORKS, FUN, WEB DEVELOPMENT

After the frameworks post I kept thinking about this. Of course any generalizations I make are heavily colored by my own direct experience, but the progression seems to go along these lines:

  1. Make static web pages.

  2. Make modular pages using simple includes (in SSI, PHP, ASP, or what have you).

  3. Make pages with more involved functionality (form submissions to database, basic CRUD).

  4. Get sick of re-building dynamic stuff for every project; write your own kinda portable library or framework.

  5. Get sick of maintaining your own framework, then:

  6. (a) find an existing framework that fits your philosophy and has support (commercial or open source community); use that. – OR – (b) Start an open source project to build the ultimate dream framework, then:

  7. (a) Release it to great acclaim – OR – (b) Watch it wallow in obscurity; return to step 6.

I’m sure there are further steps in the chain, such as getting sick of web development altogether and moving to Costa Rica to start a solar-powered commune, but I haven’t gotten there yet.

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