makumaro.net

Bit Off More Than I Could Chew

• Listening to: T.M. Revolution - Invoke

Ouch.

Have a one page spec document in front of me. Seemed simple enough. Until I started doing it.

Offered to help a friend who was going on holiday to take over one of his web application jobs. It was a small database driven content management system. Something I’ve sort of done before, although not to this magnitude of scope.

It’s amusing at times, what I learnt at university is so trivial compared to what is required in the outside world. It’s also weird at times. I can do all that web designing and build a computer from scratch and even troubleshoot problems when I hear it (was diagnosing someone’s problem with a video card while chatting with other members in Guild Wars, all the same while killing monsters. Heh…) but I can’t figure out simple logical problems with a lousy web app.

Did a little thinking and figured out why. With web design, I know where to look up answers for certain techniques and effects. Everything is well documented. With hardware problems, I have plenty of hands on experience, a forum I know where I can get experts and gurus who will give sound advice. Again, everything is well documented.

ASP is a dying language, already overtaken by ASP.net. It’s still popular because it’s simple to code for (which is true, if you know all the commands). My problem now is I’m trying to paint a picture without even knowing the names of the colours I need to use or the type of media etc. Googling is no help, I can’t even find examples of code I can use and I don’t know what search variables will turn up the information I need. I know all the basic stuff already. Really feels like an exam where you remember all the formulas but going into the exam, you have no idea how to apply them at all. It sucks.

Now wondering how to get myself out of this mess.