What do Well-Known Developers Like Most About Developing?

Web development is a huge field that evolves very fast. We must be constantly learning to be up to date.

But there are developers who, in addition to improving their skills, create extraordinary things. Those things are the tools we use every day. Also books and videos that save us a lot of time.

They are well known developers in the Ruby community. Our work is made easier thanks to theirs.

So, back in 2015 I asked them this question: what do you like the most about web development? Some answered. It’s an honor for me to share their answers.

I do continue to love developing for the web because it’s the most free, liberating software deployment platform ever concocted. Not owned by any one company, free from special treatment given to any one language.

David Heinemeier Hansson — Ruby on Rails creator

What I enjoy the most about web development is that I get to build things with my own two hands. There’s nothing that feels better then learning a new skill, and being able to put it to use immediately to build new things.

Unlike other craftsman that must go to the store to buy a new tool or materials, as a software craftsman I have the entire open source world at my fingertips. There is no barrier of entry and the only limited resource is my time.

Gregg Pollack — Founder of Code School

When it comes to web development, and programming in general, for me it all comes down to solving problems. I love learning things that help me solve new problems, or solve old problems in new ways. And the great part about the Web is that the solutions are immediately available to the entire world.

Michael Hartl — Author of Ruby on Rails Tutorial

It’s cliché, but to me, it really is all about seeing an image I have in my head become something real. The feeling that, with just some words in a file, you can create anything.

The technologies, languages, and frameworks will all go out of fashion someday. But that feeling I get, when my app starts to resemble what I hoped it’d be, will never go away.

Justin Weiss — Author of Practicing Rails