So here I am, setting out to create a web site containing a couple of ramblings about my own experience doing just that: Creating a web site.
A lot of my professional work relies on Java and the JVM. I looked at Python and Ruby in the past and never felt comfortable using them. With Groovy I really think I've found what I was looking for.
This page wouldn't look as modern and well formatted without the invaluable aid from Bootstrap, a compact CSS framework by some guys at Twitter. It also comes with a couple of handy and well-standardized jQuery-Plugins for more complex user interface objects. But let's not jump ahead of ourselves for now. Take a look at the Bootstrap page here for some results of my experimentation with the core styles.
Lots of things are moving ahead when it comes to web design these days. And most people give credit or blame to HTML5. I'll be collecting my musing about it on another of these pages.
When Microsoft started endorsing jQuery in combination with ASP.NET MVC it sparked my curiosity. I ordered a book und plunged right in. Two years down the road jQuery has established itself as the gold standard of Javascript libraries. Both Bootstrap and Angular.JS build upon it.
At the most polite, Javascript was an ugly duckling to me when I first ran across it. More accurately, I may have said that I find it really, really sick. I repent! None of the magic of jQuery or Angular.JS would be possible without this amazingly adaptable scripting language.
For Angular.JS there isn't even a book on the market at the time I'm writing this. Something from O'Reilly is scheduled for March 2013. But there is already plenty of buzz and plenty of substance. Javascript magic taken to the next level. Browser GUI development complete with data bindings and custom controls.
An entire out-of-the-box database with an HTTP/JSON API and JavaScript for defining more complex queries. NoSQL. Sounds fascinating. Will need to check that out.