Keeping
on top of new skills is imperative in order to maintain a competitive edge
within the ever changing web development industry. There are several
different areas in which you need to take into consideration including: graphic
packages, server side scripting, client side scripting and multimedia
platforms.
Graphic packages
These include Adobe Photoshop, GIMP and occasionally Microsoft Paint.
Although there are many individual views on each of the packages I have
attempted to highlight their advantages and disadvantages:
Adobe Photoshop
At the moment this software as widely considered to be the leading package used
but costs nearly 500 pounds which could be very costly if you were working as a
freelance developer. The tools available are very useful but can be a bit
daunting for a new user and will take a lot of time to get used to.
GIMP
The GNU Image Manipulation Program is often seen as an alternative to Photoshop
as it is entirely free and maintained by different developers throughout the
world. It offers most of the features of Photoshop but is even harder to
use requiring more time to learn how to utilise the program.
Server side scripting
Server side scripting is required for websites with dynamic content including
database driven sites such as online shops. There are several alternative
languages some are free and but some do cost money to develop.
PHP and the Zend Framework
Often seen as the the most popular and widespread free server side language
which is now in version 5.2.8 but also has a new project called the Zend
Framework. This framework attempts to deal with some of the PHP problem
areas such as difficulty maintaining large code bases. It gives PHP a
more structured approach but is essentially like learning a new language.
Ruby on Rails
This is the closest open source rival to PHP and its new Zend Framework.
Although the language Ruby has been around for a long time; Ruby on Rails is
essentially what the Zend Framework is to PHP, and attempt to make the language
more structured and easy to maintain.
Java server pages
This is the Java web equivalent that allows users to create and maintain
websites. There are also many new Java tools that are coming to the
market now including Java FX which gives developers a tool set to build on their
Java server scripting.
Client side scripting
Javascript is a client side script that was originally developed by Netscape;
first appearing in 1995. The language allows the user to execute code on
the users computer which can be used to validate forms, manipulate the User
interface and more recently make web pages more responsive using a group of
technologies called AJAX. Asynchronous JavaScript and XML became popular
around 2005 but the principle has been around since 1996. Popular
examples of the use of AJAX include Google Maps and Gmail. The
introduction of AJAX frameworks allowed smaller companies and individuals to
start developing using the AJAX technology pushing the idea into the web
development mainstream. There are several frameworks available; some of
their details have been written below:
Moo-tools
Prototype and Scriptaculous
Dojo
Multimedia platforms
Multimedia packages allow developers to add interactivity and animation to
their web pages. One example of their use is to stream video content
which is on sites such as BBc iPlayer, Youtube and ITV Catch Up. There
are two main competitors currently in the industry: Adobe Flash and Microsoft
Silverlight.
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash (originally Macromedia Flash) was first developed in 1996 and until
recently was the only real option for web developers to use in order to
incorporate video and other animation to their websites. Popular websites
using the technology include YouTube and BBC iPlayer.
Microsoft Silverlight
The is a brand new technology developed by Microsoft that was released in 2007
to compete with Adobe Flash and has been well received with major websites
adopting the technology instead of Adobe Flash including Sky Player and Channel
4 On Demand.
Summary
From the examples detailed above you can see how easy it is for new technologies to be
accepted into the web development industry. This emphases the need
to research new techniques regularly in order to stay in touch with the
industry.