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Sysop
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« on: June 15, 2004, 04:00:42 PM » |
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While working on a project recently, it occurred to me that most people today have had at least some kind of experience with the internet and websites, but many folks have no idea who makes them and what's involved with their creation. I thought an anology would help...
Websites are like buildings. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and serve a variety of purposes. There are houses (home page!), office buildings, superstores, museums, galleries, libraries, etc. and usually, they serve specific purposes. But how are they made and who builds them?
Most all of us are at least visitors who visit a variety of websites for a variety of purposes. We're the patrons, the base units that drive the internet as we go from place to place from purpose to purpose.
Now, webmasters and web designers, on the other hand, are kind of like combination construction workers and decorators. They can use fundamental building skills and elaborate design concepts to make sites (both large and small) look really, really good. They can start from scratch, or completely makeover an old site and give it new life.
Finally, a web developer, however, is more like an architect, contractor, and civil engineer, all roled-into-one who can add new levels of functionality to a website. These are the folks who have to to do more than put up some walls and a roof: they have to plan and develop functionally well-designed structures to suit a given purpose and incorporate technologies a typical web designer does not.
So what does this mean in the real world? Well, web developers are the ones who build things like search engines and other (usually) database-driven web applications. They make dynamic systems that can serve, collect, and track thousands of pictures, text descriptions, or downloadable files using scripting languages and programming techniques that DO things on a website in addition to just SHOWING something.
Often, a dynamic website is split into "backend" work, which is the mechanisms behind the functionality of a site, and "front end" work, which is the user interface (the look and feel of the site). Web developers will often do the back end and a web designer or webmaster will often do front end. Of course, everyone is different, though... some people are great back end folks but have terrible looking interfaces... some folks make beautiful and functionally efficient front ends, but don't have a clue as to how the other stuff works... and then there are those others who can do it all, but rarely get a chance to do so because there's so much work involved.
So, next time you visit a really great website, smile and give a nod of appreciation to the builders!
--ST
web designers & developers: 21st century architects
-- Steve Tajiri, 6/15/04
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