how much hardware knowledge necessary?

@bagawitzAug 13.2009

Hello, I’m not sure if this is the right thread for this question, but I’ll give it a shot. I am interested in becoming proficient in both web design and web development. I have a tendency to want to know how EVERYTHING works- and when it comes to computers, I’m talking about down to the electron level. I don’t want to spend too much valuable time studying hardware and data flow at a level of technical detail that is not necessary to become proficient in web design and development. Could any of you seasoned web designers or developers recommend what level of hardware and data flow technical detail is necessary to know? I know it may be an impossible question to answer, but just looking for a little guidance here. Thanks.

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@CharlesAug 13.2009 — #Hardware is unimportant. The whole point of web design is to create something that works well on all platforms. and you don't do that by studying the continually increasing number of platforms out there. You do that by following the rules.

@textboxAug 13.2009 — #That level of detail will be unimportant. It may be a good idea as you build web applications however to have a basic understanding of the effects on cpu usage, ram, etc.

@Stephen_PhilbinAug 13.2009 — #I take it you want more in-depth background knowledge to give a better understanding of what you're building? If that's the case then you'll find it's more about how things get done, rather than what's doing them.

For example. When I first started learning about databases I immediately stopped learning about databases and redirected to the basics of how computers actually do mathematics. I had never heard of the term [i]unsigned integer[/i] before then. So I set about learning what that meant, which then got me learning about the basics of mathematics in computers and how binary data gets translated into various different types of data: such as signed/unsigned numbers, floating-point numbers, text data and so on.

The variety of the different bits of hardware that do all the actual computing is huge and many have proprietary optimizations and all kinds of features that make them unique from all the rest, but it's not really a level you're likely to need to get down to because the process (as seen from the user perspective) is almost always the same.

You extended learning should be more general. Such as basic principles of OOD/OOP, binary mathematics, how pixel data for images is used/stored/manipulated and so on.

@bagawitzauthorAug 13.2009 — #Thank you for your responses. The reason I was thinking that advanced technical knowledge about hardware, networking, data storage, and data flow would be helpful is for things like troubleshooting or optimizing a website.

As with most anything, I'm sure that the more one knows the better, but like everyone else, I feel that my time is valuable and want to spend it wisely focusing on the important things.

how much hardware knowledge necessary?

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