I am a strong proponent of layered cakes. I don’t know how to handle a cake that is just mashed together with many ingredients and shoved in the oven — I just end up staring at it, wondering how the hell I’m meant to consume this thing! I prefer to have clearly defined layers, each with a unique palette that, when combined with the other layers adds to the overall symphony of taste.
Of course, I’m not actually talking about bakery; I’m talking about the web, and the many layers that it’s made of. I believe that maintaining separate layers is the best way to move forward whilst offering a usable, functional and accessible web.
I think JavaScript is an afterthought, and I think it’s best for everyone if it’s treated that way. Once you try mixing it into your application you’ll eventually encounter a conflict of layers! A.K.A pissed off users.
I’m not just talking about being unobtrusive; I’m talking about true progressive enhancement, and true separation of concerns, on the server side and on the client side. I appreciate and try to develop by this ideal, because I honestly feel that it is the best way to develop any website or any application.
It’s not just about the end-user experience though; it’s about developing in a way that makes sense. For me, this makes sense.
For me, until I change my mind, JavaScript will always be the icing on the cake!
Having left school in June I needed a job to make some money over the summer. I was going to settle for something tedious and in-my-view boring like waiting tables at the local restaurant or working at the nearby supermarket, but instead I decided to go further and look for a job which I would actually enjoy.
I’d already been designing websites (mostly personal projects) for about two years, and I’d earned quite a bit off freelancing, so it made sense, since I had the skill set, to look for jobs in the web development/design industry.
Searching online for "web design" jobs yielded rubbish results. Most of the jobs listed were freelance focused or not based in the UK. I would have been happy to adopt a couple of freelance jobs but nothing is more valuable than real industry experience, and that meant getting employed properly for the summer.
After even more searching I eventually came across NMA’s "top 100 interactive agencies". I started at the top of the list, visiting each agency’s website, having a look at their client list, and seeing where they were based. I ended up picking eight agencies, all based in London. I wasn’t looking for "vacancies" because I knew I would be unsuitable for any official listed job. Since I was only looking for an internship to get me through the summer I figured it would be best to simply send some emails explaining this amd hope for the best.
After writing my CV and emailing the applications nothing much happened. Obviously I had to give it a bit of time, so I did…
