Want to see a PHP developer cry? Have them do the job of a front-end developer for a day.

No longer are front-end developers only expected to only know JavaScript, CSS and HTML. We must also know advanced building techiques with these languages: responsive design, BEM, SMACSS, RequireJS. And the goals of our profession have demanded automatation and tools that were unheard of when FTP was a thing.

Even for seasoned front-end developers, the staggering changes in our profession during the past few years makes us all feel like beginners. “I don’t know where I am! And I don’t know where I’m going!”

What we need… is a map.

In trying to chart our new front-end world, we will discuss goals, technologies, techniques and tools. Here are just some of the topics we will try to cover during this session:

• Version control (Git)
• CSS Preprocessors (Sass, Less)
• JavaScript and HTML Preprocessors (CoffeeScript, HAML)
• Image optimizers/sprite generators
• JavaScript module loaders (AMD, CommonJS)
• JavaScript libraries (Backbone, Underscore.js)
• Templating systems (Twig, Handlerbars, Web Components)
• Content delivery networks
• Package management (Bower, npm)
• Dependency version management (Bundler, npm shrinkwrap)
• Scaffolding tools (Yeoman)
• Lint tools (csslint, jshint, eslint)
• Minifiers (uglifyjs)
• Task runners (grunt, gulp.js)
• Continuous Integration (Jenkins, Travis CI)
• TDD and BDD (Behat, CasperJS)
• Headless browsers (PhantomJS, SlimerJS)
• Screenshot comparison tools (Wraith, pageres)
• Cross-browser testing tools (BrowserStack)
• Automated Style Guide generators (KSS, PatternLab)
• Peformance testing

We will also cover coping mechanisms (beer, a good cry, support groups).

This session isn’t about teaching how to use all of those technologies, it’s about getting the big picture so that you understand how they interelate and can make wise decisions about which to incorporate into your own workflow.

Who should attend:

• Front-end developers who desire a greater understanding of the new reality.
• Back-end developers who want to understand front-end development (and want to reaffirm they made the right choice when they picked back-end technology.)