lets say i've been in nairaland for a year. if i was going to make a write up about the web designers/devlopers/masters/whatever other words. i'll have to say since that time (last year) to now. there has been just a little change. it just like reviewing the same old sites and correcting the same old mistakes. growth has been like 7% (for web developers). back to the main issue. what makes a good web developer? portfolio? clients? how could u tell?

To me, none of the above. It's their thought process. This you can learn by asking verbally how they tackle a problem and by examining their code. A good web developer also stays on top of latest web dev trends and isn't shy about experimenting with them, as opposed to sticking with the tried-and-true processes.

The other stuff you have mentioned, IMHO, are by-products of being a good web developer. I mean, I can have 1,000 comments but use 1,000 embedded tables on each of those clients websites. Does that make me a good web developer? I don't think so.

yeah, but dont "their thought process" show in their work? i mean, i stumble on a site? see his/her demo online, look well organized, works well etc. and new web dev trends? please. what have they done with the old ones. something i have noticed about programmers is the way they approach their work really matters.

I mean, I can have 1,000 comments but use 1,000 embedded tables on each of those clients websites. Does that make me a good web developer?

if it works? i think so. alot of people still use old methods to tackle new problems and it works fine. i'll like to think that a good web developer is the one that gets the job done. not necessarilly through new methods/trends. for example people are so in love with dreamweaver for designing websites, but there are some that use frontpage, microsoft web designer e.t.c and still get the job done. sometimes even better that those who use dreamweaver.

The other stuff you have mentioned, IMHO, are by-products of being a good web developer.

did you mean portfolio & clients? then u must be kiddin. i should show u some web developers sites and their clients. lol

Their approach to work matters well I agree but how about this.

I learn a good approach to nailing down works but at the tail end, I'm not able to execute as I've preached. This doesn't make you a good programmer. I don't really know where to start talking about this whole thing. Reason being that even the difference between web templates and boiler plates took time to argue and at the end, nothing good came out of it. Differentiating a web programmer and designer is still a hot arguement. Talking about what makes a good web developer here will simple be attracting angry web designers to think they are web developers and what do you expect next?

Well, I think the starting point for this consideration should be understanding who actually a web developer is, qualities and all those little concepts about the name web developer. From that point, one could start asking any other questions.

@Neptune
Can you throw more light into the meaning or definition of a web developer?

well, so we dont get confused, a webdevloper is a 'well equiped' web designer. to further explain/'job description':

Web designers are responsible for the layout, visual appearance and usability of a website. This role may overlap with that of a programmer but shuldnt be confused. Using a combination of graphic design skills and technical knowledge of how web pages are created, the work involves:

liaising closely with a customer or client at the design stage and finding the answers to questions about why the site is needed, who the target audience will be, who the leading competitors are, etc;
producing a design that will be attractive to the target user, has a logical navigation system and has all the features required;
writing web pages in a combination of codes, such as HTML and XHTML, CSS, Javascript, Actionscript, ColdFusion, .Net, Flash, or using code-generating programs, such as Dreamweaver and Visual Studio;
deciding on how images and other material will be digitally optimised and presented for the web;
ensuring that material on the web site is accessible to all groups including those with disabilities;
testing the site for functionality in different browsers and at different resolutions;
fixing errors.
Web designers will have knowledge of graphic design packages such as Fireworks or Photoshop in order to produce basic layout and manipulate images. Skills in e-commerce and server side technologies, such as PHP and .Net, and internet security are also important.

is anyone confused?

Neptune,

Here is where I am coming from. Hopefully, this addresses all the issues you have laid out. If not, let me know.  On an issue like this though, I am willing to agree to disagree

Let's take the JAMB site.  Based on what I have read on the site of the "webmasters", they have 23 years combined experience in web development.  That is all good and dandy.  Look and feel of site is okay.  Could be better though but I am willing to cut them some slack.  If you are a regular visitor to this board, you will know that there are at least a couple threads that deal with "JAMB and their wahala" and these posts generate a lot of traffic. 

Question(s):
- Did they get the job done? Yes
- Did they use latest web trends at the time the site was done? No
- Does the site function as designed (granted it is confusing to the user)? Yes
- Does their work, based on what I see, make sense? Yes
- Does their work reflect a well thought out process (Did they do load testing? Did they do quality assurance? Did they do any security testing?)? No (at least to me).

My point:
I have known people with 4.0 GPAs who based on "their works" should get any job they want.  However, some of such people end up failing during interviews OR they get the job but can't cope because they are unable to work with others as they feel their approach is the best.  On the other hand, I know people who have low GPAs yet not only get a job but get paid more than the smarter ones.  Why? Thought process.

Of course I can't speak for the Nigerian context, but that is how it is done in my locale.  For example: I have been asked at an interview, "how to build an elevator?"  By the way, IMHO, this has nothing to do with what I will be doing at the company.  The quick and "smart" answer is, "you get concrete, some rods, you get guys who know how to do the job, etc".  The better answer is, "hmmm, let me see (you feign thought).  How many stories will the building be (cos if it is just one storey, there is no need to build an elevator)? Ok, 3 storeys? What will the building be used for (if it's an office, I can design it to carry 10 people, otherwise, I might have to increase the number)?".  You see where I am going? The former way of tackling the issue tells me that even in life, you rush to make decisions.  Sure, your answer might be correct but it reflects that you act first and think second.

I have often said that if I were to conduct interviews in Nigeria or even look for someone to do something for me via NL, I would care less about their portfolio, clients served, what they use for coding (DW, notepad, etc), etc.  All I have to do is ask 3 or so questions and I would know who to hire.  Of course, I care about portfolio, clients served, etc but that is secondary.  If I like how you think, I can always call you back for a second round of interviewing where I check the other stuff out.

I hope I have made sense.

hmmm, well said.

taking your jamb senerio for example i want to believe thats a totally different case. why? i was part of a project late last year for a software company here. they wanted something far more complex than what the jamb site does. before the interview, the guy that was suppose to head the project came and was like hope you guys know this thing'll take about 6months? i was like no? why? he said the work itself would take 2months and the other 4months would be for testing. even though we had to test the whole thing and demo it to the board at the end of the second month. my point? its jamb's fault their website doesnt function properly not the developers fault. funny thing is they (the developers) might have done testing and quality control after development. but jamb its self should have sudgested realtime testing where people do whatever they do and they checked for errors and son on

the others, i also agree with.

Again, does that mean the developers are good developers?  I agree with JAMB being at fault only as far as them not insisting of a Statement of Work (SOW).  Whereby JAMB didn't ask for one, I won't let the developers off the hook by saying they didn't have to provide one either.

As far as you standing up to your project manager and saying 6 months, I tip my hat to you.  That shows that you actually thought it out:  Not only with respect to time but you also gave reasons for the timeframe. There are some, probably even amongst us here, who, in an attempt to prove what they think they know, would offer to do the job in 3 days.  Your thought process is one of the signs of a good web developer in my books 

I good developer knows how to use Almighty Google.

Cactus:

I good developer knows how to use Almighty Google.

Especially good at lifting codes and utilizing them faaaast (ability to write codes add more value).

Hasn't this topic been discussed before?