Q and A

I need some advice or guidance on a great idea, do you consult on that basis?

Yes. I’ve been building websites and apps for a good while now. Seeing them go well and succeed, and seeing them crash and burn means I have invaluable experience to share when scoping and planning your next big idea. We should grab a coffee.

I started a brand that I want to launch online. Is that part of what you do?

Yes, absolutely. I’ve helped many brands and individuals from napkin doodle through to full-scale e-commerce reality. I love the unique challenges of seeing an idea come to life. When can we start?

We want to start selling online, which platform is right for us?

I can help. There are more e-commerce solutions than ever now, it’s no wonder it gets confusing! What I do is take a look at your industry, your expected sales volumes, as well as other factors such as internationalisation, languages, taxation, etc. and recommend the right solution. We should talk.

I have an awesome idea and WordPress just won’t do. Do you build full-scale web apps?

Yes, absolutely. I’ve built tons of bespoke apps, dashboards and systems. I usually like to start custom builds with a framework and go from there. Please contact me with as much detail as you can.

I want to add a feature to my website. Can you help?

Yes, usually. It depends on the platform you have, but I regularly build modules and plugins for WordPress, Magento, Concrete5 and a whole lot more. Provided your site uses a language I work in, I can help. Please get in touch with some details.

My developer bailed on me. Do you take on half-finished projects?

Yes, sometimes. It does depend on the project but once we chat it through I will be honest about whether I can take your project forward or not. Please get in touch with some more details.

We need an extra pair of hands. Are you happy working with our team?

Yes, geek-out! I’m very comfortable working as part of a team. I’ve been the grunt on coding projects through to the lead developer/team leader so I’m comfortable slotting into almost any on-board situation. What will I be doing?.

We need a silent partner, do you work under Non-Disclosure Agreements?

Yes, all the time. I work with many clients under NDA’s so you can rest assured your project or idea remains confidential. In fact, I prefer it that way.

My website has been hacked, can you help?

Yes. If your website has been hacked you will have to remove the vulnerabilities that exposed your site in the first place, and then concentrate on preventing future occurrences. I can also help if you’ve experienced data loss as a result of an exploit, or if your website is being held for ransom (it happens). Please contact me with some details.

I need a server built, do you work with PC/Server hardware?

Yes! Apart from my own server lab, I build servers and client machines for use in various applications, from offices to 3D rendering farms, to file and print servers. Should I bring my tool kit?

I want to develop an iPhone/Android app, do you build those?

No, I don’t. I’m not a mobile app developer, sorry. I do however work with mobile app developers and marry their apps with web interfaces and dashboards that I build or work with, yay!

Our site was built with ASP/.NET. Is that a technology you use?

No, I don’t. I’m a firm believer in using the right tool for the job and when developing websites I currently work primarily in PHP and Ruby, and hybrids of those two. I utilise many of the frontend languages though, including HTML5, HAML, CSS, SASS, LESS, Angular, jQuery, Prototype (remember that!), etc, etc.

So what technologies do you work with?

It depends on the project. I work mainly in PHP, using common frameworks such as CodeIgniter, Zend, Symfony and Laravel, and also the Ruby language, using Ruby on Rails and Sinatra. When it comes to frontend technology I use HTML5, CSS3, Javascript and most of the modern Javascript frameworks such as Angular, React and NodeJS. My experience with database engines includes MySQL, MongoDB, SQL Lite and MariaDB, to name a few.