The Internet is a collection of standards and protocols which interconnect many computers and other devices to form a global infrastructure, allowing each one to interact with any other.
A web developer is someone who develops the functionality and interactivity of the Internet. In fact, there are many levels of development, from the definition of the web's most basic communication protocols to the creation of abstract concepts for web-based services.
Each of these levels has different tools and techniques. The skills needed to enable the transmission of packets of information along a piece of fibre optic cable are different from those required to create a corporate logo for a website. Many vocations and crafts need to be integrated closely into the development process in order to achieve a complete solution.
My own interests as a web developer fall somewhere in the middle of this broad field. I am not a designer, but I have found it important to understand the basics of design as they apply to web media, and am comfortable with HTML page layout and image editing. I am not a networking specialist, but I feel that experience with TCP/IP protocols, domain name resolution, and hypertext and mail servers is useful to any web worker.
I am a programmer, with a background in conventional, "desktop" business database applications. The ability to deliver similar client-server functionality via the web is making it possible for organisations to change the way they work.
There are various different tools available to help me construct these systems. In 1997 I started experimenting with Java applets. The following year I created prototype sites with Active Server Pages. I have found that page scripting with JavaScript and Dynamic HTML is a very useful aid to "glueing together" parts of an interactive web solution, as is CGI programming in PERL.
I have produced ActiveX controls, played with Allaire ColdFusion and have some knowledge of PHP. I have cooperated with projects using specialist spatial information servers such as MapInfo and ArcIMS. I am lucky to have had the opportunity to experiment with such a broad variety of new technologies.
The tool with which I have accumulated most experience is Omnis. My experience with Omnis goes back to my childhood, learning how to store information in a database on an Apple][ which my father brought home from work. Years later, I worked for him, helping write software for insurance and risk management applications.
My first complete commercial web application was eMims, a claims handling system written using the Omnis WebClient browser plug-in. Designing, developing and deploying this system taught me a lot, mainly through learning from my mistakes.
I firmly believe that the future of computer application development will be focussed towards the web. Fast, permanent Internet connections are becoming an affordable reality for more organisations and individuals around the world, through ADSL, cable, satellite and microwave providers. Many of them already own the hardware and software necessary to make a web server.
The main barrier to these entities providing application functionality from their own web servers is the investment required to design and develop customised database applications and interfaces. Tools to make it easier to achieve this without having to learn complex programming languages will be in heavy demand, along with the related value-add services, such as training and project consultancy.
The benefits of online data analysis, ecommerce and information gathering, coupled with the possiblities of telecommuting and global teamworking make this an exciting time to be involved in web development.
My career has taken me around the world, and I have worked for diverse organisations whilst in different geographical locations. I can only guess as to what I'll be doing ten years from now. No matter how quickly you adopt new practices, there are still more possibilities in this fast moving industry. I believe that I will develop programs which will be used on mobile devices such as phones, and that Internet access will become integral in all sorts of machines, from aerospace and automotive displays to diving computers!
It's a fascinating field, and I'm happy and priviledged to be a part of it.