Building Applications that Last

Explore the journey of building and maintaining a long-lasting website in this 45-minute conference talk from Voxxed Days Singapore 2018. Follow Kristine Howard's experience with RoaldDahlFans.com, a site she created in 1996 and has continuously maintained. Discover how the site's evolution mirrors both her career as a developer and the web's overall trajectory. Learn about the challenges faced during a recent 6-month project to modernize the site, converting nearly 1500 pages to WordPress. Gain insights into building applications that stand the test of time, including choosing mature technologies, avoiding unnecessary dependencies, and providing real value to users. Enjoy nostalgic glimpses of early web design, complete with Comic Sans screenshots, and understand the effort required to clean up 20 years of hand-coded HTML. Benefit from Howard's advice on making key decisions for long-term project success and managing trade-offs when speed is crucial. Drawing from her extensive experience in web development, business analysis, and management, including her role at Canva and current position as Head of Developer Relations for YOW! Conferences, Howard offers valuable lessons for developers aiming to create enduring applications.