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Code samples by twitter

Submitted by Åke Johansson on March 23, 2009 - 02:40

A tweet from David Hobbes tipped me off to an article about why code samples can be a good thing when hiring people, or for that matter judging a consultants work before signing them up for a job. Even though I don't do much proper programming myself I do a fair bit of (X)HTML and CSS and the points made in the article are just as true when it comes to that. From a HTML or CSS code sample you can get a good understanding of whether the person is using proper and semantic markup or not, adhers to current web standards, knows accessibility, handles metadata in a consistent way etc. Too often I've seen divitis and classitis all over the place as well as outdated table layouts in code from web companies that should know better.

This brings me to the point of my own site. I'll spare you the trouble of viewing the source code - it's not optimal. I'm using a standard drupal template since I moved operations over a year ago. After some corrections it validates, sure. But being valid isn't necessarily the same as being good. I prefer my code more compacted and would like to see way less classes and div's spread around.

By the way, this might be this years only blog post. I only managed one in 2008. In the mean time I'm trying out twitter again. When it was new, I just didn't get it I guess. Still didn't get it half a year ago. But I must admit i probably wouldn't have written this post hadn't it been for a tweet.

Still undecided btw.

Åke Johansson's blog

We help companies and public authorities build better web sites through better information management. Focusing on web standards and accessibility Subtil assists in designing usable and efficient web sites that are accessible to all in accordance with WAI and local guidelines.

To get your web site to run effectively you need more than good information management. Web Governance deals with the content as well as the people, making roles and responsibilities clear, developing standards and policies for an effective web site process.

(Subtle) stems from the Latin word subtilis.

Subtilis -e [finely woven , slender, fine]; of senses, etc. [plain, simple, unadorned]. Hence partic. subtiliter, [by fine links or passages]; of judgment, [with discrimination]; of style, [plainly, simply].