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Ask HN: what sample apps I can build while learning a web programming framework?

8 points by a_alakkad ↗ HN
I'm always get confused with this:

I want to learn some kind of framework, let's say Laravel, but I don't have any idea for app in my mind to work on it while learning the framework!

So, any suggestions on what kind of sample apps I can build while learning a web programming framework?

Ofcourse I don't want the boring blog sample! :)

6 comments

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eswat
How about a to-do list? (sort of joking, though it’s a nice and quick way to evaluate different languages and frameworks[1])

Do you have a simple problem you think building a simple web app could fix? Example: if you take public transit, consider making an app that fetches the schedule for a stop entered by the user. My first forays into learning programming were just scratching my own itch using technology.

Good luck!

[1] http://todomvc.com/

akg_67
If you need mini projects/apps to build, check out Craigslist, oDesk, Elance and other sites, that post projects by people looking to hire freelance developers, for the projects in your framework/language. Trim the ideas down to the size of mini project. And, then figure out how you can implement a bare bone MVP on your own using the web framework you are learning.

I recently met a guy who put out a micro site for time zone conversion that he built as exercise while learning web development. He was surprised how many visitors started to come and use his micro site. Since then he has developed 100s of micro sites as part of learning and all supported by ads. It generates him nice chunk of change for the amount of effort he put in.

nareshv
Instead of answering what you are looking for, let me try to give some leads.

For few minutes, try to disconnect yourself from facebook, mobile, etc. Grab a coffee or your favorite drink. See what are the things that you wished would've been better. Lemme give some random thoughts.

1. oh, my brother always forgets to buy fruits on friday. may be i should write small webapp which will take list of things to buy and reminds him on friday morning. 2. I love, when my friends playing cricket every weekend. May be we should record all the good pics/scores and record them somewhere, so that it will be a good thing to look at later. 3. I am always running out of money. may be i should record what i am spending on and get a report of it at the end of week/month, so that i can plan my expenditure accordingly.

remember, that every thing that needs to be built, requires few idle minutes to think about the problem, write down the things we want, design(how-it-should-look) it, code(make-it-work) it (Code is always the last and the most exiting thing!)

Hope you got some idea.

Now go have some fun !

mattwritescode
Why not take an exiting app and recreate it (whilst in the process of making it better).