Web developer: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:20, 23 November 2006

Revision as of 12:24, 12 December 2006

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A '''web developer''' is a [[software developer]] or [[software engineer]] who is specifically engaged in the development of [[World Wide Web]] applications, or distrubuteddistributed network applications that are run over the httpHTTP protocol using an httpHTTP server, a [[web server]], and an httpHTTP client, a [[web browser]]. Web developers can be [[webmasters]] who handle website administration and web design as well as web application development or can simply be web application developers. Web developers are formally in charge of [[web development]] within their respective organizations or also as freelance software developers.

==Tools of the trade==

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Web developers are the gatekeepers of the Web. They are supposed to adhere to the open standards and guidelines created by the [[World Wide Web Consortium]], [[W3C]], when creating any programming for the web. Often, web developers help contribute to these open standards and guidelines through their work on open source projects working to help enhance and debug web-based technologies.

However, because of the fairly low barrier to entry -- freely available development environments (web server environments and development languages), freely available tutorials and information on how to do web development -- more often than not, novice Web Developers do not "adhere to the open standards and guidelines". Additionally, poorly designed or proprietary software tools that don't follow the "open standards and guidelines" create ad hoc and defactode facto standards which, unfortunately must be followed in order to "make things work". This was especially true during the "[[Browser Wars]]" of the 1990's. It is becoming less true as more and better tools enter the market place.

== Common Misconceptions ==

As is often misunderstood by the layperson, a Web Developer does not always create graphics, logos, or identity, or create written, video, or audio content for a website, however some do. [[Web design|Web Designers]], [[Web Copy Editors]] and [[Web Content]] Creators are different from Web Developers.