Back to Basics 01 - Getting Started

NOTE:
The date has been updated since the initial posting. It is now Monday Sept 23rd.

A first of what will hopefully be a new series of events held by the HTML Toronto group over the course of the year. The goal of which will be to teach beginners the very basics of coding for the web. Session 1 is in partnership with Bitmaker Labs and will be focus on getting up and running with a personal “About” page.

We are looking to partner up with 1 or two of the other local community groups for this event so watch out for updates. The follow-up events will also hopefully be in partnership with respective groups:

Doors will open at 6:30pm, introductions and first session set to begin at 7:00pm.

Participants will come out of this first session with a basic understanding of coding HTML pages, as well as how to style them. They will receive web space on Windows Azure provided by WebNotWar for a period of time. Mentors will be on hand throughout the event and we will be having 20 minute blocks of talks on the technologies used.

Barring any bandwidth issues, we are planning on streaming the event for those that cannot make it. I will be posting the session talks for all to review after the event. Those who can make it out will benefit from hands on with experts and personalized Q & A. Following along from home, you will be able to watch the talks as well as be provided the coding examples. You only need to register if you are planning on attending in person.

This is a perfect event for people to send colleagues to that are wanting to learn about where to start. It stems from the fact that over the last several months (since beginning of this year in fact), we have been doing some fairly high level talks and have ignored the lower end of the experience groups. I would like to ensure that we are catering to more levels in the future and would like to thank those of you in the community who have reached out and provided feedback and the idea of having this talk. It’s through suggestions like yours that these come into play.

Things you’ll need to bring:

• Laptop / portable computer
• Power cord for laptop
• Pencil & paper (or other writing tools)
• A code editing application*
• A link to a site you may like to … borrow from
• If you have domain space, great but we will be providing for those who don’t**

• Some potential code editing applications are as follows:

• Brackets (http://download.brackets.io/) (Beginner Skill — All, Free) Recommended for event
• Coda (http://panic.com/coda/) (intermediate Skill — Mac, $99)
• Sublime Text (http://www.sublimetext.com/) (Advanced Skill — Mac, Demo or $70)
• Textmate (http://macromates.com/) (Beginner Skill — Mac, $54)
• Notepad++ (http://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/v6.4.5.html) (intermediate Skill — PC, Free)
• JEdit (http://www.jedit.org/) (Beginner Skill — PC, Free)
• Vim (http://www.vim.org/) (Advanced Skill — PC, Free)
• Aptana (http://www.aptana.com/) (Advanced Skill — All, Free)

** There will be a 20 minute setup walkthrough of Window Azure along with some people from the WebNotWar team on-hand for any trouble. Please note, this event is not part of their sponsorship. I approached them to provide web space for anybody who doesn’t have any ahead of time. I am also attempting to work it out for a 3 month trial over the usual 30 days to allow you space until the end of the year.

I am also attempting to reach out to a domain hosting provider to see about being able to provide domain names for all participants too; however have not had a reply as of yet.

In regards to the $5 charge: Due to the expected numbers (based on the interest I’ve received), the fee is to ensure participation and reduce the no-shows. The finances from the event go directly towards paying off a portion of the food and beverage costs. You will receive far more in return for the value of the $5 at the event. While I understand that some of you may find it difficult, I absolutely understand and will provide the video stream and content after for that reason.