Learning New Technologies
01:18:47 Share

Learning new technologies can be a difficult thing to start, let alone master. In this episode we discuss how we started with new technologies and how to expand those introductions into mastery with a given framework, plugin, or other product.

Segment 1 - Getting Started

• Identify Objectives

• Ensure that your selected technology cover as many of your objectives as possible

• Sometimes your objective is just to learn a given technology - with no specific project objective(s)

• Do the "My First App" example

• Most documentation have users go through a first introductory app to get them started quickly

• Use this first app as a way to get your foot in the door - use it as a foundation for your project, or as a learning platform

• Documentation Open

• Don't shy away from documentation - I always have it open!

• As you look up each and every piece of a given technology you're slowly learning its ins and outs

• Eventually you won't need the documentation to complete a given task

• Easiest Start

•  There are typically a lot of different ways to get started with a given technology (ie install via npm, use via CDN, etc.)

• Use the easiest starting point - probably the one that compliments your existing development environment - so that you don't get caught in a rut trying to learn how install something

• Find the fastest route to learning

Segment 2 - When to Learn New Technologies

• Personal vs Client Work Projects

• You must find the balance between learning something new, or using something familiar because you're working on your client's time

• Let the client know what you're doing or planning, they may want you to work on learning a new technology - maybe they want a new feature

• Do extensive research into a given technology to prevent issues down the line, costing you time and your client needless money

• Performance

• Sometimes performance becomes important when applications get large, make sure you use the technology that best compliments your objective and gives the best performance

• For example: NodeJS is good at concurrent connections

• Popularity

• Popular apps typically have a job market

• Learning React or Angular, as of writing this, would put you in a good position for finding a job

• You can also participate in an up and coming technology to get into a growing community

• Need

• Sometimes you have no choice but to learn a new library, framework, language, etc.

Segment 3 - Get Up and Running Quickly

• Researching

• Google your issues

• Check documentation

• At this stage ensure that the tech can cover all your needs

• Watching/Reaching Tutorials

• Before commiting, watch some YouTube tutorials to see if you like any of them

• If you continue working with the technology you now have a reference/video series to learn more

• Documentation

• Great documentation can make learning a lot easier

• Bad documentation does the exact opposite, makes it harder

• Community

• Take a look at the community and try to avoid toxicity

• Check various communities (ie Reddit, Discord, Stack Overflow, etc.)

• Your own "My First App"

• Choose a simple function that might be a single piece of a project

• Gives you a good view on learning and implementing

Web News - Cell Phone Longevity & Endurance

• Battery life on cell phones is typically not great, after several product generations of fighting for better battery life (specifically more capacity), it seems that consumers have given up to a degree

• Android seems have issues managing background tasks

• Apps dont' close completely sometimes

• Sometimes they close too early from the "recent apps" 

• Manufacturers try and combat this by having various battery management software added to their Android versions

• More efficient processors like those in the Snapdragon 600 series offer more efficient battery usage, but don't offer flagship speed like those in the 800 series

• Flagship phones have the best features and specs, but typically lack in battery life

• Android phones seem to drop in battery performance when you're on the go - GPS turns on a lot even when not navigating

You can find us on...

Facebook) | Twitter) | Instagram) | RSS)

Medium) | YouTube) | GitHub) | Spotify)