Web development for software developers

A very handy list of hints. I'll pick out a few of my favorites:

• Add the attribute rel="nofollow" to user-generated links to avoid spam.
• Use SSL/HTTPS for login and any pages where sensitive data is entered (like credit card info).
• Optimize images - don't use a 20 KB image for a repeating background.
• Use "search engine friendly" URLs, i.e. use example.com/pages/45-article-title instead ofexample.com/index.php?page=45
• Be aware that JavaScript can and will be disabled, and that AJAX is therefore an extension, not a baseline. Even if most normal users leave it on now, remember that NoScript is becoming more popular, mobile devices may not work as expected, and Google won't run most of your JavaScript when indexing the site.
• Understand you'll spend 20% of your time coding and 80% of it maintaining, so code accordingly.

There's many more good tips so check it out if you're thinking of making a website. The JavaScript/AJAX hint in particular is a good one to remember as a lot of hotshot designs seem to be violating that rule quite blatantly (see: recent Gawker sites redesign).