The Hardest Part of Web Development: Being Patient

DeluxeNames

For me, that long dragged out time after the initial excitement of starting a new web idea and the finishing touches, is sometimes painful. I was never very patitent and always wanted to get projects done yesterday.

The fact is, sometimes web development doesn't work that way and it can take months or more. It could be a lack of funds, tons of coding, or difficult design. Maybe you even hired someone to work on part of the site and they're taking FOREVER.

This is the time when some of my ideas die because I've moved on to a new project before I have the patience to finish the first.

Do you experience this same pain/frusteration when your trying to finish a seemingly never ending project? How do you deal with it? I need your advice. Do you tend to whip right through the process and avoid this problem?

danielneri

heh. so true! i've started to many things, and then never really got around to finishing them either because some super annoying bugs or way too much coding or some crap like that

solution: go play some games, eat, and then continue. or just get drunk, though i've never tried coding while drunk...i should try that...

DeluxeNames

danielneri wrote: »

solution: go play some games, eat, and then continue. or just get drunk, though i've never tried coding while drunk...i should try that...

Coding while drunk! :rofl:
That is next on my list Daniel!

What about the rest of you? What are your coping mechanisms to deal with the utter frustration of a never ending/stalled development project?

MGDesigns

Screaming helps lol

pfgannon

Chain smoking...

MGDesigns

...guilty

daboss

i think the problem is not impatience... the problem is that most webmasters have too many ideas and start on too many projects instead of trying to focus on a single one.

Radavan

Ain't that the truth Daboss
Ideas are good but too many are distracting

MGDesigns

They're not distracting if the person that has came up with them is capable of documenting them and possibly integrating with what they are currently working on IMHO

Nuvo

Another thing is that sometimes, those idea's can be overly complex when generally, they don't need to be.
I've seen people trying to carry out a simple task with some really large blocks of code which you don't really need as you could do the same with a few small functions and some better code.
I've seen apps where the interface is so over complex that I simply close and remove it (I happened to be looking at Invision Power Blog screenshots yesterday and they made me never want to use it).

I have hit bumps in the road myself when writing code, but I usually use my 360 until it crashes (seriously, the xbox was rock solid, but the 360 is like a sports car with a faulty engine... you just get into it and start having fun and bam, it dies) or put some music on and look around the internet for stuff to take my mind off of it (YouTube and Wikipedia are my friends).

LurkinBack

At work I just take a wander, annoy the boss or go have a cig. Other than that I immerse myself in something else till the "vibe" comes back. If it doesn't then I know the idea wasn't good enough in the first place.

DeluxeNames

LurkinBack wrote: »

At work I just take a wander, annoy the boss or go have a cig. Other than that I immerse myself in something else till the "vibe" comes back. If it doesn't then I know the idea wasn't good enough in the first place.

Interesting, do you work at a design firm lurk?

LurkinBack

Nope in a firm that makes accounting software. We make our own software from scratch though which means I effectivly have to be a designer as well as a programmer. Everything I make in work has to be user friendly, effective and good looking to make the product a nice thing to use. (yes moddy pink buttons not my choice :banghead: )

Also I'm of the opinion that one kind of programming isn't that different from another.

We have many languages but we are all one family LMAO!

MGDesigns

Oh c'mon that software is hardly attractive or pleasing to the eyes, the pink clashes with the rest of the colour scheme used!!!

*sticks with Sage*

LurkinBack

pfffffffffffft :mad:

LurkinBack

Just to let ya see something that I've been working on for a while now. Our firm makes an electronic Point of sale system, and we make the code that makes the little slip pop out at the end showing what you bought. Now my boss decided one day that that just isn't good enough and that we needed to be able to give the user the ability to design their own slips.

What follows is my brief:-

What is already on the slip should stay.
User should be able to move them around as they choose.
User should be able to add blank lines as and when.
User should be able to choose custom fields from the database.
User should be able to edit the descriptions displayed on the slip.

If your thinking "is that it?" you're not alone lol

Here is what I have eventually come up with. The whole screen works it has code behind it and saves to the database it ain't just a design. And yes Moddy once again PINK BUTTONS!!!



Oh yeh and there are bits you can't see. There is an advanced clear that lets you clear only selected parts of the screen. There is a drop down set of boxes from the top right frame to enter a whole set of extra info. The 'custom fields from database' button takes you to a whole other form where the user picks individual fields from the database and gives them descriptions. Oh and this does not only update the one till, you can choose whether it updates just the till you are on or all tills in the shop.

This shows exactly how design and coding can be needed in the same person lol Now to put on my authoring hat to write the book which will be called the instructions LMAO!

MGDesigns

I see Dave has gotten rid of that horrible olive green backdrop but I think I'd give my business to Sage over Agility as I don't believe in their business practises or ethics

LurkinBack

MGDesigns wrote: »

I see Dave has gotten rid of that horrible olive green backdrop but I think I'd give my business to Sage over Agility as I don't believe in their business practises or ethics

Actually no he ain't the desktop is still as olive green as it always was. :banghead:

WatchOut

Nice thing ..

LurkinBack

Thank you Watch out. I'm quite proud of it, no matter how much of a beast it is. It's a classic piece of bad coding practise though. Normally you try to optimize code. On this occasion I took what would take 1 or 2 lines of code to print one line on the tally slip and made it take roughly 30 lines per line on the slip!!! LOL

WatchOut

You should be proud of it, at least i would be.

xPureNLx

To be very honest, the most horrible thing of webdesign is when you are unable to find what you need. I'm facing this problem right now, and it's very frustrating =P.

- xPureNLx

MGDesigns

What are you looking for? One of us might be able to help

xPureNLx

Hmm, oh yes ^^. Well, I'm looking for a sitting anime-girl. No, I don't mean Hentai! =P

- xPureNLx

MGDesigns

http://www.creativeimagelicensing.com
http://www.artisticmindsinc.com
http://www.pspgroups.com
Anime/Manga on Deviant Art

xPureNLx

That was fast, I'm very choosy though =P.

Many thanks ^^

- xPureNLx

MGDesigns

Aren't we all?
Most welcome

WatchOut

Haha you are all a bunch of great designers. That is awesome, when i need help designing could you help me out?

xPureNLx

When I finish my own, sure ^^.

- xPureNLx

WatchOut

Haha, yeah of course your stuff comes in first hand.

LurkinBack

xPureNLx wrote: »

When I finish my own, sure ^^.

- xPureNLx

Wow! Does that mean you finish things!!! :eek: