2014-06-26 16:48:13 +00:00
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---
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layout: post
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title: "How to start becoming a web developer"
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2016-02-26 15:19:42 +00:00
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date: 2012-09-07T18:12:12Z
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2014-06-26 16:48:13 +00:00
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tags: [development, technology]
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permalink: /blog/2012/9/7/how-to-start-becoming-a-web-developer
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published: true
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author:
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name: Gergely Polonkai
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email: gergely@polonkai.eu
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---
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A friend of mine asked me today how to become a web developer. It took me a
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while, but I made up a checklist. It’s short, but it’s enough for the first
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steps.
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#### First of all, learn English
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Well, if you read this, maybe this was a bad first point…
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#### Choose a language and stick to it!
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For the UN\*X/Linux line, there is PHP. It’s free, easy to learn, and has many
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free tools and documentations available. It can be used in a functional or an
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object-oriented way.
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C# is another good way to start, but for the Windows line. It’s fully object-
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oriented, and the web is full of tutorials, how-tos and other resources.
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#### Learn the basics of the system you are working on
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To become a good developer, learn at least the basics of the system you are
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working on. Basic commands can always come in handy. Debugging (yes, you will
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do tons of bugs for sure) can become much easier if you know the huge set of
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tools provided by your OS. You should also try to develop in the chosen
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environment. Chose PHP? Get a Linux desktop! ASP.NET? Get a Windows.
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Everything will be much easier!
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#### Learn the basics of the web server you are using
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PHP can run on [Apache](http://httpd.apache.org/) (as a module), or any
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CGI-capable webserver, like [lighttpd](http://www.lighttpd.net/) or
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[nginx](http://nginx.org/) (well, it can also run on IIS, but trust me: you
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don’t want that). ASP.NET is designed for IIS, and although some scripts can
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be run under a mono-capable server, it should still stay there.
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Whichever you choose, learn the basics! How to start and stop the service,
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basic configuration methods, modules/extensions, and so on. It’s more than sure
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that you will face some issues while developing, so it can never hurt.
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#### Keep your versions under control
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Version control is critical nowadays. It gives you a basic backup solution,
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can come in handy with debugging, and if you ever want to work in a team, you
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will badly need it.
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Subversion is a bit out of date now, and it’s kind of hard to set up.
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Git is no easy. You will have to learn a lot of stuff, but basicly it’s just
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another version control system. Just choose if you want to stick to
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merge-then-commit or rebase-then-commit, get a client, and get on the run.
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Microsoft’s Team Foundation is another good way if you are working in a team.
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It provides several other features besides version controlling, and is well
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integrated into Visual Studio, which is highly recommended for Windows based
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development.
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#### Choose an environment to work in
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There are so many good tools out there. You should choose according to the
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language and OS on what you are working on. [Zend
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Studio](http://www.zend.com/en/products/studio) or
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[Netbeans](https://netbeans.org/) are both good tools for PHP development,
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while [Visual Studio](http://www.visualstudio.com/) is a best buy for Windows
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development. Both of these have many ups and downs, but once you get in touch
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with their deeper parts, you will like them.
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