Confessions of a Web Developer

This is a response to David Walsh’s article from yesterday.

Confessions of a 30-something web developer

1. I still sometimes use <table>s as a layout tool to create columns, not as markup for tabular data.
2. I took longer than most people to embrace CSS Absolute Positioning, because I didn’t think it was well supported by browsers.
3. I sometimes use for-loops when while-loops would be better.
4. Sometimes I think about quitting everything and becoming a beekeeper.
5. If I gave my online hobby projects the attention they deserve they might actually earn enough to become non-hobbies.
6. I’ve clicked on my own ads to test that they’re working OK. More than twice.
7. If I’m reading something I like, and I see ads on the page, I’ll click on them as a “donation” to the publisher, even though I may have no intention of buying from the advertiser.
8. I’m very benevolent answering questions for n00bs. But I hate it when they ask dumb questions.
9. My typing has gotten sloppier as it’s gotten faster; I commit way more typo errors than I should, and I’m not as careful with my spelling as I should be.
10. I secretly hope that Mootools becomes part of core JavaScript.
11. I would do black hat + spamming if I could guarantee I couldn’t get caught. But I’m either not smart enough, or not stupid enough. Actually, both. Or, I’m smart enough to know that I fall somewhere in between and it’d be stupid to think otherwise.
12. I like to maintain a humble demeanor, but really my opinion of myself is quite lofty.
13. I am a little jealous of people who are just starting their careers now, not having gone through the 90s, the browser wars, Y2K, and the crash.
14. I read TechCrunch, and it makes me sad. There’s no lineup anymore, no blindfold, no stick, no rules. It’s a mob, all tackling each other to jump and grab the pinata.
15. The number of startups creating glossy online “Community” tools is pathetic.
16. Twitter is for extroverted geeks. Normal people either don’t “get” it, or don’t care.