Last week I wrote an introductory guide about how to develop web applications. I kept it short and simple on purpose because an in-depth description of the topic would fit in a book. I’d rather give an overview and then selectively dig in each step as I see fit.

Today, I will discuss about an important decision in the life of a web application developer, choosing a web development framework. It is important to note that choosing a framework is more about finding one that you’re comfortable with rather than finding the best. All the popular ones are good in their own way and are used to run all sorts of web apps. Read more »

This is a question that comes up a lot and for good reason. As a programmer, how the hell am I supposed to learn how to develop web applications? There’s no easy answer and even learning institutions don’t seem to know exactly how to do it; the university I went to doesn’t offer any classes on the topic. So, as most other web developers in the field, I’ve learned by doing and trying. No one told me how to do it, I just started developing something for myself and learned how to develop a web application as a side effect. This is always a great way to learn how to program anything.

Fortunately for you, I’ll try to explain most of the process here. This should help you get started. Read more »

I’ve always be fascinated by the way most eBay auctions end. Most of the time, in the first few days of an auction (they generally last 7 days) a 2 or 3 people will put modest bids, then in the last 1-3 seconds of the auction, 5 people will rush to try to outbid each other and bid multiple times.

However, it doesn’t need to be like this, there’s no reason for people to bid more than once per auction because eBay will automatically bid for you up to the maximum amount you specified. Maybe people don’t understand how this works, but if everyone entered their actual real maximum bid when they see an item they’re interested in, there would be no last second races to outbid each other. Read more »