What the Stack?

It's 7:30am on a cold, gray March morning in East Sussex and I'm just getting started on my second coffee of the day. The boiler is on the blink with the temperature set to plummet and my partner is understandably stressed. To top it off my blogging software, Tina CMS, is playing up after an update, refusing to show previews. Gosh.

We've notified the landlord, applied towels and buckets to leaky pipes, and I've resisted the overwhelming urge to start investigating the issue with Tina which would almost certainly end a couple of hours down the line in a mental state far from conducive to writing.

In spite of the morning's attempts to derail me I'm sticking to the plan and authoring this post; for a small eternity it seems every time I sit down to write, something requires my attention elsewhere. It's time to start putting my foot down.

…an experienced full stack web application developer can now deliver value it required a whole team for in the past.

What the Stack?

So put my foot down I shall. I'm carving out time to start writing regularly, aiming to publish roughly fortnightly, in a kind of pseudo-series I've mentally labelled "What the Stack?" (WtS). These articles will deal with topics related to working with, delivering and managing web apps through the lens of small and medium businesses, SMEs.

The aim is to make these enlightening, insightful and entertaining; suitable for technical and non-technical audiences alike. Expect posts describing how web apps work, discussing tools and services, considering app accessibility and the future of web app development. I'll unapologetically share thought and opinion with you throughout.

You'll be able to identify these by looking for the the What the Stack tag.

…I'm now typing in a thick lumberjack shirt, beanie and fingerless gloves like grunge's answer to Bob Cratchit

Why the Stack?

Since the inception of the web we've seen an ongoing democratisation of web technologies. In the beginning, only technical experts had the ability to author and host a web page. These days a myriad of social and publishing platforms mean almost anyone can have a rich, multimedia online presence.

A similar explosion has happened in the context of web based applications and each year new tools and online services drop the barrier of entry for delivering and maintaining even complex online applications.

This is particularly liberating for SMEs who make up 99.9% of all UK businesses at the time of writing. An experienced full stack web application developer can now deliver value it required a whole team for in the past. It's never been more cost effective to kickstart and launch an enterprise app idea.

However, here's the rub; there are so many options and factors to consider that it can be overwhelming. Improving your understanding of how web apps work and what technologies are out there will improve your ability to communicate with those entrusted to build your software. I want to help you to make better, informed decisions about processes and technologies you will rely on to keep your app running smoothly and cost-effectively for years to come, as well as considering things like accessibility. That's where What the Stack comes in.

Of course working with a straight-talking independent professional specialising in enterprise app development is an easy way to fast-track this; contact links at the end of this post 😉.

Watch this Space

So, dear reader, this post has been as much for me as it is you; that in sharing my plans and whetting your appetite I'm setting an expectation which I must live up to, giving me justification to prioritise this work in times of leaky-pipe adversity. I'm looking forward to our journey over the coming months.

As I draw this article to a close, with the temperature still dropping, I'm now typing in a thick lumberjack shirt, beanie and fingerless gloves like grunge's answer to Bob Cratchit. I hope the plumber arrives soon.

Joby Harding is a web app engineer and consultant with 15 years industry experience. As a youth he played with photocopiers.