Category: Articles (Page 134 of 258)

Personal opinions and how-to’s that I’ve written both here and as contributions to other blogs.

Quality Code and Bloat in WordPress Projects

February 24, 2016 / Tom / 0 Comments

Quality Code and Bloat are two topics that I see a lot of developers either discussing and/or mentioning on the landing pages of their project pages.

I think the conversation around quality code is something that should always be happening. We should always be aiming to get better at what we’re doing, there is always someone who can help us, and there is always someone we can help.

It’s not that I think bloat is something we should accept, nor is it something that I think we should settle for in our projects (or those to which we contribute for that matter). But does it have as an objective definition as quality code?

It’s important to define clearly quality code and bloat as it relates to you, your team, and the solutions you’re providing for others. And I think this is true if you’re working for yourself, in a shop, for an agency, or even as a hobby and you’re building solutions for other people.

How to Get Started With WordPress

February 22, 2016 / Tom

For those who have been working with WordPress for some time, it’s easy to forget how to explain to others how to get started with WordPress.

That is, we take for granted what it’s like to set up a web server, database, PHP, install the software, find a theme, and install a few plugins. And I know: None of that has much to do with development, per se, but it can be a gateway drug for many.

I know more than a handful of WordPress developers who got started by just installing the software, writing a few posts, and finding out what it could do.

In an attempt to revisit the basics and help usher in a new class of people who may end up contributing to the community, I’ve written a series of posts geared directly to people like that.

Writing Beautiful Code in WordPress

February 18, 2016 / Tom / 0 Comments

Writing beautiful code in WordPress is a topic that any programmer, at some point in his or her career, is going to consider. I say this if for no other reason because it’s something that’s almost a right of passage for any programmer.

When it comes to writing code, there are some who get into it because they have a real love for solving problems using computers. Others get into it for others reasons. Maybe it’s because someone urged them to do so, maybe it’s because technology is going to continue to be ever present in our lives.

If you’re of the former, then I think your appreciation for code isn’t as high as for those who get into it for a different reason. I’m not trying to generalize, but I’m speaking from observation.

So anyway, when it comes to writing beautiful code in WordPress, how do we even go about doing that?

What is a Better Blogging Experience?

February 17, 2016 / Tom / 0 Comments

I first shared that Eric and I are working on a set of plugins that will lead to a better blogging experience, it spawned a handful of questions many of which ended up in my inbox.

On one hand, I love that because it shows there’s interest in what’s happening (and if you want to continue to follow along with what is happening, then don’t forget to sign up for the mailing list), but on the other hand, it also sets an unclear level of expectations.

Pressware Plugins For a Better Blogging Experience

As far as the former is concerned, that’s awesome. But for the latter? I’m no fan of that. Instead, I’d rather set a realistic level of expectations, so those who are interested know what to expect.

“Seems like a basic feature to me.”

February 16, 2016 / Tom / 0 Comments

The idea of “a basic feature” when it comes to creating software is such a weird notion to me. Last week, I was reading a blog and came across the following comment:

I don’t have a [device redacted] but these all seem like extremely basic features that should be there from the start.

And it’s a strange thing because the implication is that whatever is released out of the gate should be something that’s feature complete and should conform to whatever you (or whoever makes these comments) thinks of how a product should function.

But this carries several implications with it.