Learning New Technologies

HTML All The Things - Web Development, Web Design, Small Business

Learning new technologies can be a difficult thing to start, let alone master. In this episode we discuss how we started with new technologies and how to expand those introductions into mastery with a given framework, plugin, or other product.

Segment 1 - Getting Started

• Identify Objectives
  • Ensure that your selected technology cover as many of your objectives as possible
  • Sometimes your objective is just to learn a given technology - with no specific project objective(s)
• Do the "My First App" example
  • Most documentation have users go through a first introductory app to get them started quickly
  • Use this first app as a way to get your foot in the door - use it as a foundation for your project, or as a learning platform
• Documentation Open
  • Don't shy away from documentation - I always have it open!
  • As you look up each and every piece of a given technology you're slowly learning its ins and outs
  • Eventually you won't need the documentation to complete a given task
• Easiest Start
  • There are typically a lot of different ways to get started with a given technology (ie install via npm, use via CDN, etc.)
  • Use the easiest starting point - probably the one that compliments your existing development environment - so that you don't get caught in a rut trying to learn how install something
  • Find the fastest route to learning

Segment 2 - When to Learn New Technologies

• Personal vs Client Work Projects
  • You must find the balance between learning something new, or using something familiar because you're working on your client's time
  • Let the client know what you're doing or planning, they may want you to work on learning a new technology - maybe they want a new feature
  • Do extensive research into a given technology to prevent issues down the line, costing you time and your client needless money
• Performance
  • Sometimes performance becomes important when applications get large, make sure you use the technology that best compliments your objective and gives the best performance
  • For example: NodeJS is good at concurrent connections
• Popularity
  • Popular apps typically have a job market
  • Learning React or Angular, as of writing this, would put you in a good position for finding a job
  • You can also participate in an up and coming technology to get into a growing community
• Need
  • Sometimes you have no choice but to learn a new library, framework, language, etc.

Segment 3 - Get Up and Running Quickly

• Researching
  • Google your issues
  • Check documentation
  • At this stage ensure that the tech can cover all your needs
• Watching/Reaching Tutorials
  • Before commiting, watch some YouTube tutorials to see if you like any of them
  • If you continue working with the technology you now have a reference/video series to learn more
• Documentation
  • Great documentation can make learning a lot easier
  • Bad documentation does the exact opposite, makes it harder
• Community
  • Take a look at the community and try to avoid toxicity
  • Check various communities (ie Reddit, Discord, Stack Overflow, etc.)
• Your own "My First App"
  • Choose a simple function that might be a single piece of a project
  • Gives you a good view on learning and implementing

Web News - Cell Phone Longevity & Endurance

• Battery life on cell phones is typically not great, after several product generations of fighting for better battery life (specifically more capacity), it seems that consumers have given up to a degree
• Android seems have issues managing background tasks
  • Apps dont' close completely sometimes
  • Sometimes they close too early from the "recent apps"
• Manufacturers try and combat this by having various battery management software added to their Android versions
• More efficient processors like those in the Snapdragon 600 series offer more efficient battery usage, but don't offer flagship speed like those in the 800 series
• Flagship phones have the best features and specs, but typically lack in battery life
• Android phones seem to drop in battery performance when you're on the go - GPS turns on a lot even when not navigating

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