Equipment
For a comfortable web development environment, I recommend the follow-
ing equipment:
A solid, up-to-date computer. Macintosh, Windows, or Linux, is fine.
Creative departments in professional web development companies tend
to be Mac-based. Although it is nice to have a super-fast machine, the
files that make up web pages are very small and tend not to be too taxing
on computers. Unless you’re getting into sound and video editing, don’t
worry if your current setup is not the very latest and greatest.
Extra memory. Because you’ll tend to bounce between a number of applica-
tions, it’s a good idea to have enough RAM installed on your computer
that allows you to leave several memory-intensive programs running at
the same time.
A large monitor. Although not a requirement, a large monitor makes life
easier, particularly for a visual designer. (I’ve seen code-based developers
get by just fine on an 11” MacBook Air.) The more monitor real estate
you have, the more windows and control panels you can have open at the
same time. You can also see more of your page to make design decisions.
If you’re using large monitor, just make sure you design for users with
smaller monitors and devices in mind.
A scanner and/or digital camera. If you anticipate making your own images
and textures, you’ll need some tools for creating them. I know a designer
who has two scanners: one is the “good” scanner, and the other he uses
to scan things like dead fish and rusty pans.
A second computer. Many web designers find it useful to have a test com-
puter running a different platform than the computer they use for devel-
opment (i.e., if you design on a Mac, test on a PC). Because browsers
work differently on Macs than on Windows machines, it’s critical to test
your pages in as many environments as possible, and particularly on the
current Windows operating system. If you are a hobbyist web designer
working at home, check your pages on a friend’s machine. Mac users
should check out the “Run Windows on Your Mac” sidebar.
Mobile devices. The Web has gone mobile! That means it is absolutely
critical that you test the appearance and performance of your site on a
mobile browser on a smartphone or tablet device. You may already have
a smartphone yourself. If you don’t have a budget for devices with mul-
tiple platforms, ask your friends if you can spend a few minutes looking
at your site on theirs. I have one web developer friend who checks out
his designs on the phones at his local mobile carrier store (although you
might quickly wear out your welcome).