First and foremost, I am an application developer. From 1984 to 2015, I built DOS and Windows Applications. I spent most of my time developing Enterprise Data systems, with Business Intelligence, Contact Management, Inventory, and Sales algorithms.
My approach to Web Development follows very much the same principle. I build complex enterprise applications that work in a browser, instead of just a Windows environment. Instead of ODBC and local data drivers, I utilize APIs, AJAX, and REST to query data. My preferred stack is LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, PHP). I am versed in creating APIs and have a deep understanding of SQL, data management, read/write, and transformation.
As a Web Developer, being able to craft APIs, queries, and complex server-side processes gives me a long relationship with Back End development. As a Front End Web Developer, I have decades of experience in designing user interfaces. I know how to craft front ends that efficiently drive the application process, but front ends these days are so much more than that. I’ve developed a special love for the browser and DOM experience. I understand cookies, browser storage, and as much as people like to bad mouth JavaScript as a programming language, I LOVE its capabilities in really digging into the presentation experience. My extensive experience with spreadsheets, charts, and graphs translates into live web dashboards that are deeply integrated with the full back-end enterprise core. My preference is to work with ReactJS components on the front end and like to use SASS and animations to provide great user experiences!
I have worked with Magento and WordPress and have spent years working with Plugin and theme design, custom templates, and now designing custom blocks for the Gutenberg Full-Site Editor. I am familiar with page builders such as Elementor but prefer to design my own blocks, themes, and plugins when possible. It really helps in keeping sites fast and lightweight. Elementor is a huge burden on system memory.