So, I recently got back from CodeMash 2012 as a first-time attendee and all I can say is that it was a great conference. No wonder why it sold out in 20 minutes. After getting back, I wanted to put down a list of takeaways and quotes from the conference for myself and I thought it might be helpful to others if I share them on my blog.
- When choosing a technology – Ted Neward
- Resist the familiar.
- Reject the goal of reuse until you have a pattern.
- “Best Practices” are our attempts to avoid thinking. So, it is helpful to think outside the box.
- Regarding processes — Barry Hawkins
- Don’t make a process your religion.
- Processes change quite often. So, be flexible.
- A process is not the goal, but a means to an end.
- Dealing with information overload — Scott Hanselman
- Psychic weight happens when your brain is literally going through a ToDo list for the week. Stop that and archive important reminders/info in a trusted source. A trusted source can be as simple as a piece of paper in this case.
- Effectiveness is running in a specific direction. Efficiency is being able to run well and fast in that direction.
- Stop trying to convince people of your position on twitter. Nothing important can ever be stated in 140 characters or less.
- On Responsive Web Design — Ben Callahan
- The web is not fixed-width. It’s never been. We (as developers) made it fixed width.
- Start with the smallest screen first when designing your web applications. If you approach the desktop first, things may get out of hand quickly.
- A mobile-first approach gives you insight into your most important content.
- Avoid using non-semantic CSS grid systems that force a specific naming convention for css class names. The class name “column-3″ may span 3 columns on the desktop view but spans only one in your mobile view, so “column-3″ becomes meaningless at the mobile view.
- On UI/UX Design — Jen Myers
- Design is not and should never be an after-thought. It’s not about making things look pretty. Instead, it’s about solving a problem.
- Designers are no longer just designers. Likewise, front-end developers are no longer just front-end developers. Both job descriptions are closely related and should cross-pollinate.
These quotes/takeaways are directly related to sessions I have attended. If you’d like to add other quotes/takeaways from the conference, feel free to leave them the comments below.