[thelist] conference question/evaluation

Shirley Kaiser skaiser1 at skdesigns.com
Sun Feb 3 18:01:01 CST 2002


At 03:22 PM 2/3/2002, Meredith typed:
>In a vaguely tangential thread, evolters are discussing the
>value of coding to standards.  I wonder how many evolters
>don't do this because we're too small/too swamped/lack the
>resources to keep up with changes, etc. (I'm in this
>category.)  I confess to testing sites in too few browsers
>(latest IE/Netscape on Win/Mac, Netscape on linux, plus
>Opera on Win) and I don't often bother to validate my code,
>even though I know I should, because it just doesn't seem
>that relevant right now.

First, regarding being too small, too swamped, lack the resources to keep
up with changes:
I am a one-person web design and development business. I do subcontract and
work on team projects, but I'm a self-employed person running my own
business via a home office. In terms of small, that's pretty small. I'm
also swamped all the time, working weekends and too many long hours. So I
can certainly understand and relate to what you mean.

I guess for my own situation with running my own web design and development
business I don't even think about keeping up with changes as an option
since I figure if I want to stay in business it's an absolute necessity.
For myself, I feel that if I want to keep food in my frig and a roof over
my head, I do all that I can to make sure that happens both today and in
the future. Whatever I do and the decisions I make directly impacts my
business and whether or not I have money for groceries, etc. Part of
keeping my business thriving is staying up with the latest and continued
learning.

We're each in different situations and job descriptions, though, too.

In terms of testing with various browsers and systems, I test with as many
browsers as I can manage on a couple of PCs here and I do check in with a
couple of discussion lists and ask for feedback from other systems, too. I
do this also because my clients fully expect their sites to work on a
multitude of browsers, and I also guarantee that they will..... so I stand
behind that.

All those things (and others, of course) are built into my scheduling and
my time for each project I take on.

That's my own philosophy, though, and I understand that we each have our
own. That's just how I operate and works well for me, knowing that others
have ways that work well for them, too.

Next, regarding validating your code:
I'd love to hear why it doesn't seem that relevant to you to bother to
validate your code and what your thoughts are about that. (I'm sincere in
this question.) I'd truly like to know and understand your point of view
and why it doesn't seem that relevant. And let me know also the kind of
work you do, too, as it would help me understand better, too.

Also, do you use an HTML editor, a WYSIWYG editor, code by hand, or what?

For example, I use HomeSite, and while it has a validator built in I've
opted for purchasing CSE HTML Validator and validate my work as I go along
to catch any errors as I go (potentially saves a major headache later,
too). At some point I then validate the page via W3C's validator.

It takes only seconds to do that, and if I validate as I go, the time is so
minimal.

It's relevant to me because I want to make sure that various browsers
render the page, for example. While IE 4 and 5 may be somewhat more
forgiving about table code errors, Netscape 4 may not even render the page
at all.... the page could appear totally blank. That's only one example of
a long list.

So, as I mention, I build that in to my scheduling, too. It's not an
option, and my clients also appreciate that I do all that and want me to
once they understand why I do. That's often part of why they hire me.

>Similarly, I have a chance to attend a Managing Web
>Development Projects conference, sponsored by CIO magazine,
>in early March.
>(http://www2.cio.com/events/viewevent.cfm?EVENT=4722)  The
>copy says, "This introductory course is intended for people
>who want to understand and practice the process of managing
>the development of a Website."  Then it says, "Talk Like A
>Project Manager.  [I'm not sure I want to do that.]  Project
>Management has a vocabulary all its own. Understanding terms
>such as acceptability criteria, critical path analysis,
>Gantt chart, scope creep, and work breakdown structure is
>necessary for communication with your team and other project
>managers."  Again I wonder, how important is it for me to
>understand "scope creep?"  Will "acceptability criteria"
>allow me to keep checking sites in the same few browsers?

 From your description it doesn't sound like they're getting into
standards, accessibility issues, usability issues. Of course, to me, those
should be part of what's being managed for a project. Sounds like they're
going to talk more about management itself, though. I don't know.... just
guessing, and I didn't check the URL, either.

>Bottom line: how relevant is this stuff to small business
>folks like me?  Should we pay attention to it?  Make a
>serious effort to learn and stay on top of it?  Buy an
>O'Reilly book or two about it?

Well, Meredith, if you're running a small business in web design and
development, I just wrote above my own opinion about it, since I run a
small business, too. From my view it's relevant whether you have a small,
medium, or large web design and development business. And yes, we should
pay attention to it, and yes we should make a serious effort to learn and
stay on top of it.

In my opinion, once again, I think developing sites based on standards will
help provide the best sites for clients. It also actually makes my job a
whole lot easier, amazingly enough, using standards-oriented markup, and
allows for so much more, encompassing backward, current, and forward
compatibility.

So that's my viewpoint. I'll look forward to your thoughts.

Warmly,
Shirley
--
Shirley E. Kaiser, M.A.,  SKDesigns  mailto:skaiser1 at skdesigns.com
Web Site Design, Development     http://www.skdesigns.com/
WebsiteTips: Design Resources   http://www.websitetips.com/
Brainstorms and Raves  http://www.brainstormsandraves.com/




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