A glimpse into the weird and wonderful world of Web Development

In an attempt to give you a glimpse into the way in which the mind of a web-developer works, we decided to interview one of our very own MO-Rangers, the ever-glorious, Ramon.

Once we had actually succeeded in luring Ramon away from his computer screen (through the use of the tantalising scent of Lasagna)… we managed to capture his attention for 5 minutes.

• So, Ramon, what’s your favourite website and why?

www.deezer.com  

"I was only recently introduced to this little gem. Deezer is the best place to listen to music and create awesome playlists, especially playlists suited for programming (yes I’m talking about some Howard Shore, John Williams and the occasional AC/DC). Deezer is also very user-friendly which makes navigating the site quick and easy."

• What’s your pet peeve when you’re on a website?

"POPUPS!!!! I despise them. I get that they serve a purpose but when seeing a popup for the 3rd time on the same website it just makes me want to hack them and disable that functionality (I’m not part of Anonymous, promise)."

• In an attempt to be fully prepped for this interview, and make it sound like I know what I’m talking about, I did some research. And I gathered that there seems to be a trend taking off, which when looked at more closely, is actually bad practice. Can you shed some light on this?

"One thing that is trending now is having the hamburger icon on the desktop version of your website (it’s usually used on mobile devices to access the site’s menu). The reason this is implemented is to make the navigation more visual i.e. make menus bigger and animated. The biggest problem with this is that you’re taking the users 1 click away from accessing the rest of your website, this might not seem like a big issue but a user doesn’t want to figure your site out like a puzzle. Your website needs to be user-friendly and it should make it clear to the user how and where they need to click to navigate the rest of the site."

• So… don’t be shy! Give us the secrets. What makes you such a good web developer? What are the fundamental rules to follow? And at the same time, what separates you from the lousy developers out there?

"There is no secret really. If you want to be a good developer you need the following 3 traits:

• Logic
• Passion
• Blazing fast typing fingers

This industry is ever changing, so to stay ahead of the game, as a developer, you need to constantly read up on new trends, scripts, and web technologies. There is always something new to learn, that’s what makes this industry so much fun. You never have to be bored."

Here are a list of cool websites to check out for further reading:

• http://www.w3schools.com/
• http://codepen.io/
• http://stackoverflow.com/ 

• What’s your biggest fear?

"My biggest fear is spiders, but an even worse fear is the idea that spiders might evolve into flying death machines. And just to clear the air, I don’t scream like a little girl when I see a spider… Well, not always."

• What would you say are your daily challenges in doing this type of job?

"I’m just talking for myself, but I believe the biggest struggle a developer has is the lack of support. There’s nothing worse than being stuck with a coding problem and there is no one to help you."

• So… How long have you been a MO-Ranger? And what piece of work are you most proud of?

"I’ve been a MO-Ranger for just over a year now. It’s been a crazy fun time and the people here make it worthwhile. I’ve got to say that my proudest work must be the Markets Online website: www.marketsonline.co.za. It was a fun website to develop using various functionalities ranging from dynamic content changes to little animations here and there.

• What’s your favourite language?

"It’s a tossup between JavaScript, C#, and Elvish."

• What are the most-used apps on your phone?

"WhatsApp and my alarm clock."

• How many windows you have open on your PC right now?

"17, and that’s just when I start my day, it usually doubles towards the end of the day. The reason for this is because I’m constantly reading up and doing research on various coding things, and because I switch between tasks I leave tabs open to come back to them on a later stage. To some people it might seem a bit messy and cluttered, but to me it’s an organized mess."

• What do you do in your free time?

"As a hobby I really enjoy drawing cartoons, I’d love to start my own comic strip in the near future. Some of my other hobbies includes, gaming, reading, and eating lasagna. You can check out my drawings on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Awemics/"

• What was your last single purchase for over R500?

"My Dota 2 themed gaming headset."

So there we have it! Ramon, web-developer / cartoonist extraordinaire, in 5-minutes!

Markets Online are a great bunch and we’re constantly on the look for new talent. If you think you fit the mold, take a look at our careers page in case there’s something there for you.