In our next installment of FS Interviews, we grab a coffee and sit down with Jonathan Snook and discuss CSS, book writing, problem solving, and just how he came about being a web developer.
Hi Jonathan, thanks for sitting down and answering my questions. If you could, give a little "hello" to the readers about who you are and what you do.
I'm Jonathan Snook, a designer/developer from Ottawa, Canada who now works for Yahoo! as a front-end engineer.
How did you come about to being a web developer? Was it a childhood fascination or something you stumbled into over the years?
I've always had a fascination with computers and most certainly the online world. I got into BBSs before the web was around and then slowly transitioned onto the Internet and finally jumped onto the web around 1994. It was just a hobby for me, though, until 1999 when I finally decided to make a career out of it. The rest, as they say, is history.
Many people in the web development business see you as THE master of CSS. What's your take on this opinion?
I would certainly not want to argue against them! But I certainly don't consider myself THE master. I've been lucky to have had the time to learn it and learn it well. With the landscape continually changing with each new browser released, there's still plenty more to learn.
You've coauthored two books, Accelerated DOM Scripting with Ajax, APIs, and Libraries and The Art and Science of CSS. What was the process like of writing and publishing these books?
Writing such a volume of text is a difficult process for me and it's something that I'm continually working to improve. It takes a level of focus, dedication and research to get it done.
You've worked with many people and on many projects, but which one would you consider to be your favorite and why did it leave such an impression on you?
I've been very thankful to have been able to work with the people I have over the years. There are plenty of talented and knowledgeable people that I've had the pleasure of working with. But I owe my success to the openness of the community at large and consider myself very fortunate because of it.
Every developer will eventually come across a problem/bug/anomaly when coding that does not have an obvious solution. When you have this happen, what do you do to get to the root of the problem?
The most effective way to solve a problem is to isolate it to its core. Create a test page that addresses only the issue. Then research to see if other people have solved the problem. Over time, you learn various tricks and approaches that you begin to be able to apply these techniques right away. If you can't find a solution right away, it often takes a little creativity to understand why something is happening the way it is. Understanding why it's happening can help you find ways to solve the problem.
Final Question: Do you have any parting words for the readers?
I love what I do and hope that people get the opportunity to do what they love, whether that's web design or anything else. Do it with respect for yourself and everybody else in the industry. We'll all succeed by helping others rather than trying to tear others down. Thankfully, I believe that many in our industry feel the same way.