Front-end Web Development

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What

Learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript - and put them to good use! This class, taught by Jeffrey Carl Faden, is aimed at beginners who are interested in web development, as well as seasoned professionals looking to brush up on the latest and greatest.

Frontend web development is all about making code that runs in the browser (versus code that runs on the server). There isn't a big focus on web design (creating wireframes and mockups), but we do cover best practices for turning these designs into beautiful code.

Who

This class is for everyone! Complete beginners and more experienced developers are welcome at any time. If you're new to the class, consider coming to the lecture at 7:30 for a recap.

The space and the class are entirely free to attend. You do not have to be a Noisebridge member.

Please bring any kind of laptop.

When

Lectures start promptly at 8pm on Mondays and go for two hours. There is a half-hour recap starting at 7:30pm. Please try to arrive early as physical space is limited.

Labs start at 8pm on Thursdays and can go up to two hours.

This class runs in a weekly series, and the curriculum takes about 5 months from start to finish. Don't let it discourage you if you're starting from the middle - attend recaps and labs and you should be able to catch up!

Where

Noisebridge, 2169 Mission St., San Francisco, 94114 (at 18th St., near 16th St. BART station). Getting Here

The lecture is currently held in the Church classroom, which is in the back of the space.

The lab is currently held in the Turing classroom, the room past the wood shop.

Read up on getting in to the space. TL;DR: ring the bell!

Keep Informed

Join the WebDev or Noisebridge-announce mailing lists to be notified of upcoming class topics via email.

If you can't make it, subscribe to a mailing list to be notified when you can watch a live stream of the lecture! If you missed it, previous lecture streams are available for viewing on the Previous Classes page!

Lecture

Weekly classroom-style presentation on HTML/CSS/JS. The lecture starts every Monday at 8pm. We also have a recap starting at 7:30pm, where we'll cover the (very) basics:

  • Explaining "frontend" vs. "backend"
  • Discussing tools of the trade
  • Explaining the separation between structure, presentation, and behavior
  • Writing a basic HTML page
  • Styling the page with basic CSS

Class for 2013-03-25: Backend web development

This class is all about the seedy underbelly of web development: the backend!

I know we already have a backend class here at Noisebridge, but this one's tailored toward frontend developers wanting to get a taste of how things come together. We'll spend the first half talking about PHP, then move onto a Rails, a more complex example.

This class requires some preparation! Please follow one of these sets of steps before Monday 8pm. I think it will take about half an hour to do the easy steps, so if you want to come at the usual 7:30 recap time to install, that would work.

In fact, it would be great if someone could follow the easy steps ASAP and tell me if they work and how long it takes.


THE EASY WAY:

If you would like to follow along and are on Windows or OS X, the easiest option is to run a virtual machine:

THE HARDER WAY:

If you don't want to use a virtual machine. I haven't tried these myself, so I can't profess as to how easy or hard it is.

On Linux, you'll need to follow these steps:

On Windows or Mac OS X:

THE HARDEST WAY:

Install Apache, PHP, RVM, Ruby, and Rails individually. Good luck!


Join the Google+ Event to be notified of the video livestream (you don't have to be a Google+ member).

Previous classes

We discuss a different topic in-depth every week. Some previous topics have been:

  • CSS selectors, positioning, floats
  • Turning a professional mockup into HTML and CSS
  • JavaScript
  • jQuery and plugins
  • File transfer and AJAX
  • HTML5 and CSS3
  • Mobile web
  • Progressive enhancement: cross-browser compatibility and accessibility
  • Web frameworks and other "backend" web development topics

Lab

We also meet for a weekly lab/workshop where we work on an assignment that covers the material learned in the lecture earlier in the week. Those working on their own personal projects are also more than welcome to come and solicit help. Every Thursday at 8pm in the Turing classroom.

Lab meets at 7PM this week (2013-03-21)!