Did you know there are ‘advent calendars’ that share web development content each day of December leading up to Christmas? It’s true!
On this seasonal page you’ll find out about two different web development advent calendars. Who knows – you might even want to subscribe to either or both.
24 Ways
24 Ways is probably the best known web advent calendar amongst web developers and designers, which has run every year since 2005. Each day of December, it releases an interesting tutorial or discussion written by a web professional.
24 Ways has more of a web design angle to it, but also includes content on web development if that’s more your cup of tea. Some good articles from the 24 Ways archive include this one from all the way back in 2005 by Simon Willison on why you shouldn’t use the JavaScript eval() function, and this one from 2009 by Elliot Jay Stocks on why it’s a good idea to have a pet project.
The design of 24 Ways is a bit busy (which is surprising since it’s run by web designers), but if you look beyond the facade there’s some great content to be found. The articles are easy to read for beginners and allow discussion in a comments section.
You can subscribe to 24 Ways by RSS feed, Twitter or Facebook.
Web Advent
Web Advent is another advent calendar, which like 24 Ways, curates web development articles by developers. It’s been running since 2007 and it focuses on PHP. One of the interesting articles from the Web Advent archive was this one from last year by Derek Sivers, about the fun of programming.
Web Advent appears to be written for more advanced developers. Of course that doesn’t mean that if you’re a beginner, you can’t enjoy it, but if you do consider yourself a more advanced programmer, Web Advent might be up your alley.
Its content ranges from tutorials and tips, to personal stories, to essays and discussions on programming. Although the articles may not be as beginner-friendly as 24 Ways and don’t allow comments, you are still encouraged to subscribe.
You can subscribe to Web Advent by RSS feed or Twitter.
Celebrate the holidays with code
A short page here, but there’s plenty more content to keep you satisfied for the next two and a half weeks over at 24 Ways and Web Advent.
Here are the links again:
How are you finding these advent calendars? Let us know!
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.
