Q&A
5 Questions on Web Development with Robert Boedigheimer
It takes tenacity, persistence, and maybe a little bit of Tae Kwon Do to tackle the complexity of Web development. It's something Robert Boedigheimer knows well.
Coding is tough work. You're often working alone, late into the night, working through complex issues and algorithms, and when things don't work the way they're supposed to, it can drive you nuts. That's true for whatever platform for which you're developing apps. It takes persistence and tenacity. No one knows that more than Robert Boedigheimer.
As the principal systems developer for Schwans Shared Services, LLC, Robert focuses on Web development for business solutions. He has been at it developing Web sites for more than 18 years, since the early days of ASP.NET. That tenacity flows over into other parts of his life as well. Robert is a third-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, which he says, "provides great focus and discipline, not to mention great satisfaction when breaking piles of boards after a long day of coding."
1. What first got you into Visual Studio?
I got into Web development shortly after graduation from college and happened to be researching the first Web browsers and HTML just as one of our business units wanted to create a new Web site, so I volunteered. I have been doing primarily Web development since that first project.
2. What is it about Visual Studio that keeps you challenged and engaged?
I stay challenged and engaged with Web development because it is always changing. I am a lifetime learner and have a passion for investigating new technologies and sharing my experiences with others. In the web world there is no shortage of things to learn!
3. What are some of the biggest changes or advancements you see coming in the next few years?
The biggest changes are the continuing device proliferation and the impact it will have on Web development. Gone are the good old days of just a few different browsers on PCs. With smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs, and connected devices, each with unique capabilities, it is critical to understand how to effectively create a web site in such a diverse environment.
4. What would be your top priorities if you were the lead product manager for Visual Studio?
If I were in charge of Visual Studio or ASP.NET, I would continue to focus on how to improve the development experience for the core technologies all Web developers use (HTML, JavaScript, CSS) while continuing to provide convenient ways to leverage other specific tools (like LESS, jQuery, Angular and so on) within the environment. I would provide some basic tooling for images as they now make up a large portion of page weight and are often misused by developers. I would also focus on Web Essentials as an area of continued innovation and quickly folding the best new features into Visual Studio.
5. What are some things that most people miss or don't get the most out of when working with Visual Studio?
Some people aren't using Web Essentials and aren't fully utilizing the large number of editor improvements to streamline their development process.
About the Author
Lafe Low is the editorial liaison for ECG Events.