Tatham Oddie
The web was never a platform I explicitly sought out; it was more so somewhere I ended up, but I ended up here for a reason. The shear breadth and power of the web, from both technical and business perspectives, made it a natural fit as I developed my career and skill sets.
I’ve always been fascinated by how a relatively simple set of building blocks designed through the 70s and 80s now underpin so much of what we do today. Video calling might look all fancy and futuristic, but it’s still sitting on much of that same technology. It’s this ability to foster evolution and innovation in an open, neutral and (mostly) democratic way that makes the web both possible and exciting.
Mass organic adoption of the web has today given us a heterogeneous environment of networks, devices and software clients that can be quite accurately described as somewhat hostile. Navigating these challenges to deliver a robust and compelling solution, while also seeking to drive the web forward, is what I do as a web specialist.
Microsoft’s early forays into web development were designed to make it an easy transition for their existing community of developers. This approach has resulted in a generation of developers who work on the web without necessarily being fully aware of its scope or potential. Microsoft’s current push is to now bring these developers across to the next iteration of the web. Engaging these audiences and encouraging them to that take that next step is a key component of what I do as an active community member.
In an ever increasingly connected world, now is the time to work on the web.