I have released code publicly for the first time this weekend on github at PHP-Directory-Helper. I have spent a good amount of time on it. I have plans to add a few additional classes for abstracting the Standard PHP Library (SPL) and making it usable for us normal PHP developers. I say normal because I mean the developers who are still learning and have a clean shave. My neck beard has not grown in yet. One day in the far off future I will have a neck beard worthy of competing in the World Beard Championships , but until that day comes I will continue to preach readable code with over documentation. I can often be heard arguing over obfuscated code vs readable code and telling my fellow developers that people are slow and computers are fast. We are not the only ones that have to work with the code we are writing. Perhaps this attitude of writing clean readable code even is it adds a few extra lines of “BLOAT” goes back to my experience of training Marines. I wanted to always make sure that next person working with what ever project I have completed would be able to get up to speed quickly. My goal was not impress them with documentation that looks like Egyptian hieroglyphics. In the Marine corps if the gear you were in charge of had strange unreadable documentation you would have hell to pay, but for some reason it is a thing of honor for developers. I will save that rant for another day.
“People are slow, Computers are Fast!”
Releasing code publicly can be a little nerve racking. I was starting to ask myself questions like “is this code good enough” and “would anyone use this?” . After debating with myself for a few weeks I have decided to release it. I have always been a big fan of practical application over theory. I see releasing code for the entire world to see as a way to force your self to get better and as a service to the PHP community. It is a great way to force myself to improve and get some practical application at the same time. Nothing will sharpen your skills as a developer more than solving real word problems. No matter how many books I read or tutorials I complete. I have never truly mastered a skill until I was asked to do it for a real world project. It will break some people to have to develop outside of there comfort zone, I on the other hand love it. I remember when I landed my first client and they asked for something that I had never done but I thought was simple enough I could teach myself in one night. That was a huge mistake. I spent the next few weeks putting in 16 hour days. The more I learn the more I realize how much I don’t know and have yet to even here of. “HTMLBootNodeSS9000 WTF!” I am starting this blog to document my learning experience as Web Developer. I hope you enjoy reading it and get some useful information from the blog posts.
Best wishes, Danny Nunez