Fifteen years of web programming is enough time to see significant changes in technology, tools and user expectations. It’s also enough time to recognize that many of the fundamentals haven’t changed.
When I started at Fishhook, websites were primarily designed for desktop computers. Mobile experiences were still developing. Content management systems were less sophisticated and websites generally had fewer integrations and capabilities. Today, websites need to work across devices, connect with multiple platforms, load quickly, meet accessibility standards and make information easy to find.
While many technologies have come and gone over the years, the one technology I have enjoyed seeing its evolution the most is CSS (cascading style sheets). CSS was used mainly to add colors, define font sizes and add light structure to content. Now, you can define whole systems that are smart and responsive in CSS – without using other technologies. This greatly reduces dependencies that could break in the future.
The most significant change may not be the technology itself. It’s the expectation of what a website should do. A church website is no longer simply an online brochure. It is often the primary entry point for people looking for worship information, events, ministries, resources and ways to get involved. It also needs to work as part of a larger digital communication plan. That makes strategy increasingly important.
Strategy and tactics have to work together. Programming is often the tactical work: building, integrating, troubleshooting and maintaining. But those decisions should support a larger objective. A technically impressive solution is not necessarily a good solution if it doesn’t improve the experience for the people using the website.
The basic questions remain the same:
Who is this for? What do they need?
What are we trying to accomplish?
What is the simplest way to accomplish it?
Those questions have remained relevant regardless of the technology.
Another constant is the need to keep learning. Web programming changes continuously. New frameworks, platforms, security requirements, accessibility standards and development tools appear regularly. AI is now changing how developers approach research, coding and problem-solving.
I learned how to program websites by reading books well before my time at Fishhook. With every project I work on, I learn new ways to accomplish what our designers give me to program. Now all of my learning is done by searching for the issue I am trying to solve and watching tutorials or deconstructing code examples. I occasionally use AI to help me solve complex issues that I have trouble wrapping my head around. It usually gets me pointed in the right direction.
As I was learning AI tools, I asked it to build a home page for a dance studio. I had it list the class styles in a tier 2 style with blocks and images. The classes were ballet, jazz, modern, lyrical and tap. The results were mostly passable, but instead of showing a picture of someone tap dancing, AI chose to show a beer tap. It just proves that AI isn’t ready for vibe coding.
Staying current does not mean adopting every new tool. It means understanding what has changed, evaluating whether it is useful and knowing when an established approach is still the better choice. That’s one of the clearest differences between what is new and what is simply new technology applied to an old problem.
Users still want simple, fast and useful websites. They still need to find information quickly. They still get frustrated by confusing navigation and complicated forms. Good web programming still depends on understanding those basic behaviors. The technology will continue to change. The need for clarity will always be there.
Looking ahead, I expect web development to become increasingly automated and integrated with AI. The technical work will continue to evolve, but the need for good judgment will remain. Knowing what to build, why to build it and who it needs to serve will continue to matter.
As I reflect on my years at Fishhook, the one thing I will never take for granted is the way we care for our churches, our families and each other. I get to do something I love, learn new things every day and have a tiny part in leading people to Jesus. There is nothing better.