6 Outstanding Online Resources


The web is an ever-extending collection of knowledge. Sure, there’s plenty of cat pictures and NSFW sites out there, but there are some incredible learning resources available, too. Below is a list of some of my favorites. Some are free to use, while others charge a small fee. All are worth well more than the price of admission.

 

1. Pluralsight

https://www.pluralsight.com

Pluralsight is an online video learning library. Author’s record and submit content, fabulous content, for inclusion in the video library. If you’re looking to learn a new language or new technology, and learn it well and in depth, browse through the offerings on Pluralsight.

Some of my favorite video authors include:

 

2. Stack Overflow

http://stackoverflow.com

Stack Overflow is a site where tech questions are asked and answered. Correct answers (and more corrector answers) can be submitted and voted up and accepted by the community. Search engines have done a good job of indexing this site. This means that if you’re searching in Google for an answer to a specific tech question, perhaps an error message or part of a stack trace, there’s a good chance that near the top of the results you’ll find a relevant Stack Overflow result.

I would also encourage you to browse topics with which you feel comfortable answering questions, and submit your own answers. Perhaps you have the answer that someone is looking for.

 

3. ASP.NET

http://www.asp.net

For information on the latest tech directly from Microsoft, there’s no better source than the ASP.NET website. Filled with documentation, samples, tutorials, downloads, and more; this is a fantastic resource for the .NET developer. There’s also an active community and online forum attached to the ASP.NET website.

While you’re there, be sure to checkout the ASP.NET Community Standup video series with new episodes streaming live every Tuesday.

 

4. AngularJS

https://angularjs.org

Angular is one of the most widely used JavaScript frameworks these days. With backing from companies such as Google and Microsoft, it’s certainly got momentum and staying power for the foreseeable future. This is currently my go to framework of choice for front-end web development.

The documentation on the Angular site is a little difficult to navigate, I find. However, the content and completeness of the documentation makes it the best available resource at this time. It’s my personal hope that with the upcoming release of Angular 2.0, the layout and navigation of the documentation will be improved.

 

5. Knockout.js

http://knockoutjs.com

Following close behind in my personal preference for front-end web development is Knockout. I actually started with Knockout before moving to Angular and found it a joy to use. There are a few caveats, like with any library, but once learned those are easily dealt with.

The Knockout website is a dream to navigate. The samples and explanations found there are thorough and easily found. I wish more websites would follow suite. (Pay attention, Angular)

 

6. JSFiddle

https://jsfiddle.net

Struggling with a particular set of JavaScript functionality? Need to test out a proof-of-concept without going to the trouble of producing a full-blown site? Pop on over to JSFiddle and test out your code. Include any necessary libraries and just start typing. Live-test any changes, or just play around.

There are actually a number of similar sites offering the same functionality. JSFiddle just happened to be the first I became aware of, and it remains my go-to when trying some one-off JavaScript.

 

Honorable Mention: Treehouse

https://teamtreehouse.com

Treehouse is another video tutorial site. They really focus on the full lifecycle of training. I’ve got a few friends that work for Treehouse and I really believe in what they’re doing. I wish them the best and every success.

 

###

 

This is far from a complete list. These are just a few of my favorites at the time of this writing. If you’ve got your own go-to sites, please share! I would love to hear what others find valuable on the web.

 


Please Consider Sharing This Post:

FacebooktwitterredditlinkedinFacebooktwitterredditlinkedin