What Do You Do?
My name is Phil Ripperger. I am a freelance web application architect. I design scalable, easy-to-use and maintain web applications. I believe that a simple web application that does one thing and does it well is far better than a web application that tries to be everything to everyone.
As the company name implies, I stay on the forefront of the continually changing Internet landscape. I am constantly learning and evaluating new technology to better help solve your business needs.
Ruby on Rails
I develop web applications using Ruby on Rails. According to the creator of Rails, Rails is opinionated software. In my opinion, Rails is the best framework for developing web applications. I believe that a small team of Rails experts working together on a project can run circles around a team of developers using a traditional web framework. Will Rails be the best solution for every problem? No. I prefer to use the best tool for the job, and right now, for 80% of web applications being built, Rails is that tool. However, I can see past the hype and realize when another technology would be a better fit for a particular problem.
Working Software
I develop using agile methods, delivering small increments of working software. I like to get a working application in front of you as soon as possible and continually thereafter. This process begins within a day or two of starting a project, when I deliver the first draft of an application on its own staging server. This staging server becomes a snapshot (often daily) of the latest state of the application. This helps you understand where in the development process the application is, and also helps catch issues before they get out-of-hand. I also work by continuously building an automated suite of tests that ensures your application will work as developed when new features are added.
Do you have a 50-page functional spec written in Visio? If so, I'm not the person you are looking for. Do you plan to hand me a list, have me disappear and 'do what I do', then magically re-appear three months later with the finished application? Again, I'm not the person you are looking for. I work on a project by constantly communicating and revising based on feedback. I work to understand your application and your needs, and often I can introduce a new idea or technology to the project and then work with you to make the best use of it.
At times I work alone on projects, but if the project is big enough, I will put together an experienced team to get it done. Some of the tools I use are Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Test Driven Development, OS X, Linux, MySQL, Apache, Mongrel, EC2, S3, and Git.
I have over ten years experience developing web applications. I have experience with many different database systems and have used quite a few web development frameworks. I believe in using the best tool for the job, but no matter what tool used, the most important aspect of software development is the team. Without a good team, using even the best tools will be pointless.
Get in Touch
You can reach me by email at - I answer the phone too. Give me a call at 719.966.4313