I thought about how HTML can be likened to the bones of a web page, while CSS is similar to the skin.

 

So I did a quick Google search and it seems people had already come up with the same "insight". Only, they added that JavaScript was "the muscles" and PHP the "brain".

 

 

So HTML is the bones, CSS is the skin, JavaScript the muscles and PHP the brain. Do you agree with this?

So HTML is the bones, CSS is the skin, JavaScript the muscles and PHP the brain. Do you agree with this?

 

Sorry, but not really.

 

'CSS is the design' (or 'skin') is such an outdated observation. CSS is now critical to managing the construction of a site; if HTML is the 'bones', then CSS is the string holding all those bones together. CSS attributes like float, position, overflow, padding and margins all play a factor in sowing the building blocks of a site together. In fact, without CSS floating and overflow, HTML would suffer dearly. And then there are media queries leading to responsive design - let's not get started there!

 

So really, CSS is the skin in the sense that it houses the HTML bones, but most certainly not the skin in terms of mere appearance.

Edited March 19, 201412 yr by throzen

 

JavaScript the muscles and PHP the brain.

 

PHP is just one of many server-side languages. Javascript is capable of back end stuff as well, not just front end. Some applications nowadays are built entirely in HTML, CSS & JS.

Strange observation, but I see where you're coming from.

 

I have to disagree to an extent, however. I think CSS is now capable of way more than just looking pretty. It's the aesthetics. Heck, CSS can be dynamic now. It can even calculate.

Edited March 19, 201412 yr by jakdothtml

I use the html as the bricks on a building and the css as the decoration, windows doors and structure design just in the realm of pushing forward into solar panel technology, You could say the css is used in the architecture planning of this analogy.

 

The JavaScript would be the visitors to the house, a temporary add that works and then goes and the php the people inside as the people are the ones to turn stuff on and off.

 

Bit silly using an analogy in this mannor but sometimes it's the best way to explain to a client what it is you are doing

Edited March 19, 201412 yr by Fuzzy Logic

 

"CSS is now capable of way more than just looking pretty. It's the aesthetics"

 

That statement makes no sense. Looking pretty IS the aesthetics.

 

CSS is ONLY capable of changing the appearance of html rendered in the browser. That's what it does. That's all it does.

I'm sorry, I think I changed direction midway through my post.

 

I somewhat disagree with the analogy, however, and I think that is most important.

Edited March 20, 201412 yr by jakdothtml

I ****ing love you, citypaul. I've never had a stalker like you.

PHP is just one of many server-side languages. Javascript is capable of back end stuff as well, not just front end. Some applications nowadays are built entirely in HTML, CSS & JS.

 

Couldn't agree more Jack, especially with all of these JS based MVC frameworks like Angular and so on. The thing that is keeping me using PHP is WordPress but I can see me gradually using something like Angular more and more frequently, they're very powerful.

 

I still like to see CSS as purely visual in that the layout of a website is entirely a visual aesthetic, You can have a perfectly formed and semantically correct website with no css at all, but it won't be much to look at, hence CSS being seen as the visual component.

 

I should add that CSS cannot calculate anything, that's one of the reasons we use a CSS preprocessor, the complier for that evaluates any calculations and spits out the resulting CSS

Edited March 20, 201412 yr by rbrtsmith

I'm not proficient enough in JS to use frameworks like that, but it's very high up on my learning schedule. JS is simply too important nowadays.

Not stalking you. Just correcting you when your unfounded overconfidence takes you to places it shouldn't

Cheers stalker.

Again with the attitude from you.

 

I'll continue to post legitimate comments when and where I see fit. I wouldn't mind so much if you weren't trying to pitch yourself as soon kind of expert, when your skills are really at a beginner level. Regardless, I'll comment where and when I want, especially if you're saying stuff that is completely wrong on a technical level, cheers.

 

Are you just looking to do front end stuff for the time being then?

 

For front end I'd pretty much recommend what rbrtsmith mentioned above - definitely learn git (make this one a priority - it will save your life at some point, and when you get your head around branching and merging, you'll never want to go back), and then get good at HTML/CSS and from there learn some Sass/Compass.

 

You should also read up on responsive web development and mobile first design. These are the key things for a front end developer these days.

 

Also look at grunt for the front end, because it can do some great things for you there as well.

 

Some resources:

 

 

Sass

http://sass-lang.com/guide

 

Compass

http://compass-style.org/

 

Grunt for the front end

https://leanpub.com/grunt/read

http://www.nomensa.com/blog/2014/an-introduction-to-automating-front-end-build-processes-using-grunt/

 

Also, here are some git resources (learn git as a priority - it WILL save your life):

 

https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorial/git-basics

Video:

 

Thanks Paul.

 

I'm mainly a front end dev (i've written the php plugins and stuff though) and already use Sass and Git, Grunt not so much at the moment.

 

It's my JS that I'm looking to get better at, especially with all these frameworks, things like node.js also intrigue me.

I'm familiar with node too, it's defiantly on the list to look into further though. I've built some real time stuff using Pusher, a simple one-on-one web chat for a client. It's definitely the way forward.

I havent gone much beyond just playing with angular and backbone but they are also on my to do list. In terms of js knowledge, beyond the basics id say a good understanding of javascript objects and how prototypal inheritance works in javascript. Codeschool has a very good js course covering all that kind of stuff that has helped me heaps. But closures was a real pitta to get my head around! I can see their benifit though.

Edited March 20, 201412 yr by rbrtsmith