Learning the Web • Hacker News Board

Re: Learning the Web

#11

Post by malandrew » Fri, Mar 27, 2015, 7:44 PM UTC

lazyloop wrote: post #2

LEARN TECHNOLOGIES: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python One of those does not belong.

Yup, that fourth one should be replaced with options.

    Learn these for the frontent: HTML, CSS, JavaScript
    Backend options: JavaScript (NodeJS or io.js), Python, Go, Ruby

All four of those backend options are reasonable options for beginners moving from the frontend to the backend or learning the frontend and backend simultaneously.

Re: Learning the Web

#12

Post by malandrew » Fri, Mar 27, 2015, 7:45 PM UTC

dzine wrote: post #3

While I applaud the effort, this just shows how disconnected Mozilla has become from the web in general. I wish they'd concentrate on making a great browser, an area they were leading until Chrome and the mobile web happened.

They are:

https://github.com/servo/servo

Re: Learning the Web

#13

Post by UUMMUU » Fri, Mar 27, 2015, 7:47 PM UTC

theVirginian wrote: post #5

lazyloop wrote: post #2

LEARN TECHNOLOGIES: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python One of those does not belong.

Which one? Python? It's commonly used for writing backends. Not everyone lives eats and sleeps JavaScript all day. You could also use it to write a web crawler, or a desktop application that emails you reminders. Who said that the web has to be all Front End code/language that executes in a browser?

Nice screenname (fellow Virginian). I think if they're going to mention learning the languages of the web you want to first whet their appetite with HTML, CSS, and JS and then break them into backend coding. HTML,CSS,JS are somewhat of a package deal where as python is really something that you'd learn after you learn those. I think it's fair to leave it out for the beginner learning about how websites are built.

Re: Learning the Web

#14

Post by pekk » Fri, Mar 27, 2015, 7:53 PM UTC

malandrew wrote: post #11

lazyloop wrote: post #2

LEARN TECHNOLOGIES: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python One of those does not belong.

Yup, that fourth one should be replaced with options. Learn these for the frontent: HTML, CSS, JavaScript Backend options: JavaScript (NodeJS or io.js), Python, Go, Ruby All four of those backend options are reasonable options for beginners moving from the frontend to the backend or learning the frontend and backend simultaneously.

Providing an obvious choice is helpful to beginners, otherwise every single person has to ask "what do I learn?" and spend a long time hemming and hawing about the choice, without the benefit of background knowledge

Re: Learning the Web

#15

Post by ngokevin » Fri, Mar 27, 2015, 7:53 PM UTC

theandrewbailey wrote: post #9

theVirginian wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which one? Python? It's commonly used for writing backends. Not everyone lives eats and sleeps JavaScript all day. You could also use it to write a web crawler, or a desktop application that emails you reminders. Who said that the web has to be all Front End code/language that executes in a browser?

> Python? It's commonly used for writing backends. So are dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of other capable languages and platforms. They could have easily mentioned Ruby, Java, or NodeJS.

Python is commonly regarded as a beginner-friendly language. At least it has its own Codecademy section.

Re: Learning the Web

#16

Post by theVirginian » Fri, Mar 27, 2015, 7:53 PM UTC

UUMMUU wrote: post #13

theVirginian wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which one? Python? It's commonly used for writing backends. Not everyone lives eats and sleeps JavaScript all day. You could also use it to write a web crawler, or a desktop application that emails you reminders. Who said that the web has to be all Front End code/language that executes in a browser?

Nice screenname (fellow Virginian). I think if they're going to mention learning the languages of the web you want to first whet their appetite with HTML, CSS, and JS and then break them into backend coding. HTML,CSS,JS are somewhat of a package deal where as python is really something that you'd learn after you learn those. I think it's fair to leave it out for the beginner learning about how websites are built.

I agree that they are a package deal. It would have been better to separate Python and include it with something like Ruby then link offsite for both of those languages. To say that it's completely unrelated to the web I think is an overstatement.

I probably learned more about the front end of the web as a side effect of writing scrapers in Python than I did on just tutorials directly about the front end. Then I started writing some front end stuff and it was easier to grasp because of that experience. I just wouldn't assume that everyone approaches learning the web from the same angle and limit them to only learning the front-end-three.

Re: Learning the Web

#17

Post by pekk » Fri, Mar 27, 2015, 7:54 PM UTC

UUMMUU wrote: post #13

theVirginian wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which one? Python? It's commonly used for writing backends. Not everyone lives eats and sleeps JavaScript all day. You could also use it to write a web crawler, or a desktop application that emails you reminders. Who said that the web has to be all Front End code/language that executes in a browser?

Nice screenname (fellow Virginian). I think if they're going to mention learning the languages of the web you want to first whet their appetite with HTML, CSS, and JS and then break them into backend coding. HTML,CSS,JS are somewhat of a package deal where as python is really something that you'd learn after you learn those. I think it's fair to leave it out for the beginner learning about how websites are built.

HTML, CSS, and JS were already listed first. It's a bit silly to omit the backend entirely

Re: Learning the Web

#18

Post by theandrewbailey » Fri, Mar 27, 2015, 7:59 PM UTC

ngokevin wrote: post #15

theandrewbailey wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Python? It's commonly used for writing backends. So are dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of other capable languages and platforms. They could have easily mentioned Ruby, Java, or NodeJS.

Python is commonly regarded as a beginner-friendly language. At least it has its own Codecademy section.

I agree. I show it to people and they are amazed that it is essentially pseudocode.

disclaimer: python was my first programming language.

Re: Learning the Web

#19

Post by giancarlostoro » Fri, Mar 27, 2015, 8:00 PM UTC

lazyloop wrote: post #2

LEARN TECHNOLOGIES: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python One of those does not belong.

Python is under "Technologies", not "Web" though?

Re: Learning the Web

#20

Post by Osmose » Fri, Mar 27, 2015, 8:02 PM UTC

Just a reminder that MDN is a wiki and thus a collaborative effort. Check out https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/MDN/Doc_status/Lear... if you want to help make the Learn section of MDN better!