9781422273357

FROM THE PAST TO THE PRESENT Web developers today hardly have the easy time of it that early developers did. What once required a single language to create—HTML— now requires numerous computer languages. The internet has not been text only since the early 1990s. Today’s web developer must integrate elements of graphic design, content development, and computer coding into a multimedia design that may integrate with an application or function as an application. What a single person typically designed in the 1990s now requires a team of individuals.

Hypertext markup language (HTML) is a set of codes inserted into a file intended for display on the internet.

The graphical elements of a website include photos, line art, videos, GIFs, and other small animations. Developers must use helper applications such as Microsoft Silverlight to host integrated video. Websites now frequently integrate audio elements, including MP3 downloads and livestreamed performances. These items also require helper applications or a built-in application programming interface (API). Creative content too has evolved. Text remains one of the most important elements. The internet that began as a means of encyclopedic and scientific information transmission quickly spawned such things as the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Such developments required web developers to also acquire database creation and integration skills. The textual content of websites transformed from mere information dissemination to a major channel for marketing and advertising. Web developers must write pithy web copy using active verbs and keywords to create and enhance

THE LIFE OF A WEB DEVELOPER 11