In depth
Scaling raster graphics
Blender 3D program is able to scale models and output very high image quality, resolution can be set to 10k in instance. It’s handy when you want to produce something big that looks good and crisp clear. Settings are very configurable and almost anything can be customized.
After rendering image maybe manipulated seperately by using other software. Like Photoshop, Krita or Gimp.
Graphics an automation
For websites svg graphics are usually converted to raster graphics still. I made this logo for Tuuri’s Laatupaino using instagrammish style.
Vector graphics I’ve mainly made using Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape and Freehand. Vectors can be imported into 3D software, and in Blender 3D software there is various of different ways to produce graphics even further. By adding some effects and filters etc.
Blender 3D
Blender is very powerful software, that can produce 3D graphics or Hollywood quality scene processing. If you’re interested you should totally check out Blender 3D short movies from Youtube, that you can get better understanding what sort of cababilities I’m talking about here. Complicated things take time, but nowadays since you’ve done something once, it should be compatively easy to reproduce. Many software use pre-rendered motion effects for instance. Sometimes calculating complex 3D scenes or models might require a lot of CPU, GPU power from computer to make it fast. There are also rendering farms, made for speeding up rendering, but I feel that it’s better to do calculating myself to avoid expenses. Anyway, Blender can make pictures, videos, games or 3D models.
Graphics cloud
If you’re doing graphics for various companies, and you want that the files you’re working with are easy to maintain, you can use a private cloud fileserver. Myself I’ve used Seafile program, though for co-operation there are countless of other software also that could be leveraged. In open source the best part is that you can be in control of your software.
eCommerce
WooCommerce, Magento, Drupal Commerce, Odoo
I’ve made webshops with Woocommerce, with this solution I can offer my customer almost anything to imagine. Best part of running your own , self-managed webshop is that you can really change any part of it and behaviour. Mostly people want to have everything customized here and there, which most of the webshop services themselves don’t provide out of the box.
Development environments
It’s nice to develop websites with WordPress, especially when new project starts with a press of a button. So fast. I’ve made countless of webshops and product catalogs, so it’s pretty straight forward. For me it’s possible to make unique webshop platforms using WordPress, though for now I’ve mostly made quite simple ones, multilingual webshop is my most complex to be honest. It’s possible to clone your projects with a press of a button. Which gives you enormous amount of possibilities. Only problem that persists is probably managing the complexity of different individuals requirements, since some program might require different kinds of architectural dependencies and such.
Container technology
Containers are fast ways to spin up and the best thing about them is that they’ll almost always run, no matter the platform. Container technology is leveraging Linux libs and bins. Container technology can also do load-balancing. Small web software is usually running on one instance; then swarming makes it easy to run same software on multiple instances or computers at the same time. Containers are easy to move if needed to change computer.
OpenStack
Sometimes you’ll want your development environment into the cloud, then using OpenStack could be a solution. It creates a computer that spins other virtual computers, and is controllable via internet user interface. It’s possible to SSH tunnel into virtual machines and such. It enables you to modify programs via cloud service sort of experience. Then it is relatively easy to change any configurations with internet connection like development environments virtual architecture or software. For local development you can also use DevStack.
Development environment with usb stick
It is possible to install development environment on usb stick, and then your operating system and files move easily with you everywhere. It operates almost as well as normal operating system from integrated computer hard disk. The best part is that you can almost use it anywhere. Where there is normal BIOS based computer system available. Nowadays there are compute sticks on markets which stand for relatively same purpose.
Marketing automation
Many companies are already happy with subscribe to newsletters, hoping customers are interested of their headlines. In marketing automation emails are made a little like websites, and because majority of email readers have rolled back html functionalities scripts and external content are usually forbidden by default. Styles come from inline CSS. Marketing automation has it’s many softwares, and I personally have been using Mautic and HubSpot myself. But in the end there are countless of marketing software and methods I could write a book about.
Kubernetes
Platform that can spin containers or services. Kubernetes best parts are probably synchronizing node technology, where nodes repair theirselves if corrupted. Continious infrastructure health checking and syncronization are amazing features. Kubernetes is used by Worlds leading companies, for whom information is everything and very valuable. Kubernetes is usually a platform for other software, such as Docker, OpenStack etc.
Graphics automation
If there is a lot of pictures to edit, for example webshop needs thousands of pictures, it’s possible to automate deleting background of images etc. For example by using Blender chromakey feature, from where every picture will pass through and get background removed. Graphics automation can be used in various of other different like creating filters and such or tasks like image optimization as well. Photoshop has also pretty good automation for images , if you are using a lot of Photoshop image manipulations for images. Anyway the best bit about graphics automation is that you don’t repeatetly need to do same useless job. Let there be 10 000 pictures.
Statistics
Websites can use Google Analytics statistics services, or other analytic services, which work with tracking pixels or alternative technologies. When you open a page; it opens a image or script from analytic service servers. Requesting image for example proceeds a GET command from service, which will be visible in the logs. Analytic services handle and virtualize these functions for user readable form of content. Sometimes it’s also nice to view your website traffic in realtime. One of my favourite statistivcs program shows connections on a world map.
Analytics
It’s possible to follow network analytics very deeply, when you’ll listen to computers ports and traffic; what is actually happening on network interface. Wireshark makes it possible to analyse where the network connections come and this is how you can locate problems easy, since you can see all the bottlenecks. It is also possible to listen to your computers programs and functions and see which program or function is taking most overhead.
Security
Website is as secure as its weakest part is. Wether it’s the system architecture or software kind of failure. This is why it’s not always good to install too many plugins. Some of them might be compromised with cross site scripting etc. Normally WordPress core sanitizes any input, but when installing something yourself things may happen. In Linux system apt-get update && apt-get upgrade updates all software at one time, that you don’t have to do such for programs one by one. Threat might come from any levels of course, backdoors or unfixed vulnerabilities. Container security can be also updated by running updates. There are so many security softwares that they even have their own Linux Distribution. Kali Linux has over 300 tools for security and pentesting
Web Techniques
XMPP Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol
Private messaging services can be used on websites, many of collabration softwares already have integrated chat software, but XMPP is standardized and it works easily even in mobile phones. Intercommunication can also be part of any website.
Meet
A server that leverages XMPP techiques. It’s possible to host your own server fast and it can be also used as hangout sort of server. Sometimes I used to show off some of my stuff for my friends with my selfhosted servers, since it’s easy to give url for your friend and then just write messages, share code, speak, share video or screen. Servers can be password protected.
VoIP
Teamspeak, Ventrilo, Mumble, are probably the most famous software in VoIP category. They enable easy voice over IP communications with your friends or team. Before Discord atleast they we’re also actively used as gaming voice chat programs. Microphone can be turned on for others to hear with a press of a button or certain loudness of input.
Hosting platforms (Plesk, i-mscp, EHCP)
Best about hosting platforms is that they provide software installation scripts. That you can swiftly start developing a new website. Positive about them also is that you can easily develop sites straight from the internet. Though then websites are sort of in the internet already.
WordPress Multihost
Multihost is one of WordPress features, and you don’t seperately need to install it really, just but it on from the configuration files. It’s near out of the box functionality. It’s possible for visitors to register their own WordPress , of which best examples are probably wordpress.com and wix.com. Multihost makes administration a superadministrator, whom has rights for every WordPress installation and every user gets administration priviledges for their site. Plugins and themes are limited to superadministrators selection and changes can be made only by superadministrator , sort of. Easiest way to make many WordPress installations. Best solution if WordPress is used as multiuser publishing platform.
Social media marketing automation
Internet is full of social media platforms, like BuddyPress (bbPress for forums) Before forums used to be the social platform, but nowadays Facebook has shown lead in communications in internet. Social media can also be private or decentralized with platforms like. You can host a social media only for your own company. I used to have my selfhosted website for such here, but didn’t want to host it anymore. HumHub, eXo platform maybe better for enterprise.
PHP Frameworks
PHP frameworks make it easier to make custom websites, that can be build using some what ready plugins and functionalities on plain design. I’ve used some laravel, which is one of the most popular ones. For now I’ve been happy with ready modules. Laravel is best when you’re making big custom projects in teams, because PHP is modules, in different files, which makes it easier to collabrate files at the same time.
Git
Version control Git is the most famous way to version control, which means that you can easily see which file has been changed, by whom and what time. If you Git a project, it will automatically keep different versions of each file. Working in a team it’s easy to compine two different git projects into one. I also like to clone and test famous projects from github.com git community. Git is definetly affected me a lot as a developer. I like to learn new ways to code from projects and sometimes loan some code.
Bootstrap
Front-end, CSS, Javascript library, so that you don’t need to start coding from the scratch all the time, whilst developing a website. I like columns and responsive features the most. Bootstrap offers out of the box design for websites, like buttons, fonts, forms.
Electron Atom
With Electron you can convert websites into desktop programs, sort of. They open a browser window into your website the way it doesn’t look like a website anymore. It may help some companies, if you need to have your website easily accessible etc.
Static website
I’ve started making websites the old school HTML, CSS way. Been embedding interesting PHP and Javascript elements. Static website anyway is the most secure, because it can only change if you change it from your server. Negates most of the attack surface on websites.
Linux
Core of all of my knowledge is probably information I have got working with Linux. It’s the most used operating system on server side, back-end. And I don’t see it’s going to change very soon. As platform it’s accelerated by global community and technology boom all over the World, especially in China. Open source developers nearly always use Linux, because software is free. I don’t know if companies are getting a lot of money by using Windows, but by using Linux you can save a big penny.