
Ask HN: TED talk about full stack, what would you talk about? - mcbetz
Let&#x27;s say you would give a TED talk about how the modern web and modern web applications work. The talk has the title &quot;Full Stack For Beginners&quot;. What would be your (say 5) main topics?
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jefflombardjr
To me, diving into full stack development with a beginner audience is kind of
pointless. They have no context as to what full stack means. So that's one
approach, you could talk about the different mechanics of a website and the

If it were me, I would talk about the history of Web Development to explain
with how we arrived at the current state, and maybe offer a couple of
futuristic teasers of where it could go. People are much more likely to
respond to a story, than a 'hey here's how it works' but that largely depends
on the audience.

Something that would look like: \- Netscape Browser and the Rise of HTML \-
Introduction of CSS and JavaScript (explain how separation of
Content/Function/CSS is a great thing) \- Talk about the rise of
Ruby/Rails/Jquery CMS systems and how specialized tools developed for
different areas of the stack. \- Talk about the rise of SPA architecture and
how many things are being abstracted away. \- Talk about future technologies
and possible future trends in Web Development

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mcbetz
I would cover basics of Linux server (Apache/Nginx, 10 most important commands
for the terminal) and what they do, why we need databases and how SQL based
ones work. I would add email technology (why it is so easy to use and hard to
manage - think sending newsletters, handling bounces, DKIM, SPF etc.). And
lastly: basics of HTML/CSS plus PHP.

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tboyd47
I would talk fundamentals for a while (basic computer architecture, system
resources, how a web browser works) then offer some advice on conducting goal-
oriented research (how to research any topic sufficiently in a given time
frame).

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mcbetz
Interesting take: Yes, it pays off showing how to use StackExchange, how to
find and read good documentation and how to find what you want and need to
know now is a very basic competence that you need to learn early on.

