OpenLampTech - Developer Interview With Phil Kurth
Freelance web developer Phil Kurth shares a fantastic developer interview with the OpenLampTech newsletter readers.
Welcome to this OpenLampTech text-based developer interview.
Phil Kurth works with a wide range of clients and builds WordPress plugin extensions for the ever-popular Advanced Custom Fields plugin.
Phil has a lot of knowledge, insight, and experience in the web development industry so I'm very excited he agreed to share this information (and more) with the OpenLampTech newsletter readers.
And now without any further ado, on to the interview.
Q: Please introduce yourself and tell us what you currently do for a living.
I’m a web developer living in Geelong, Australia and I’ve been freelancing as a developer for 17 years. I work with both creative and technical agencies whilst also managing my own client base. I also build WordPress plugins which are available on https://hookturn.io and all of my current plugins are extensions for the very popular Advanced Custom Fields WordPress plugin. When I’m not working, I spend time with my three young kids or I enjoy a nice long ride on my motorbike.
Q: What PHP framework(s) and/or CMS(s) are you interested in the most or currently using (if any) and why?
I primarily use WordPress, mostly because it’s what I’ve always been asked to do and that’s where a lot of my skills and knowledge come from. It’s also a very versatile platform to build on which is why it appeals to many businesses and marketers.
I really like Laravel and have spent a lot of time learning how to improve my code (WordPress can be quite a mess!) by learning about Laravel and building small projects for various business use cases.
Q: Do you think it is important for developers to know some SQL and not rely solely on an ORM? Why or why not?
I definitely think it’s beneficial for developers to know some SQL. One of my plugins – ACF Custom Database Tables – organizes object metadata into normalized tables and being able to leverage that data via SQL is a powerful skill for WordPress developers. That said, we don’t really have an ORM in WordPress. We have query objects that allow us to query the various object types and they suit most use cases but it sure can’t hurt to learn some SQL for handling edge cases in an optimal way.
Even with an ORM, understanding SQL would still be beneficial in helping to understand what is going on under the hood. A deeper understanding of tools we use makes room for more creative use of those tools which is, I believe, where we start to apply this work as a bit of an artform.
Q: What is one piece of software that you just cannot live without and why?
Gee, there’s so many pieces of software I use daily that it’s hard to really choose so I’m going to say my web browser as it gives me a window to the internet along with access to many of the tools I use. ChatGPT is also a massive part of my recent dev life and has become pretty indispensable in my day-to-day. Can’t imagine not having a tool like it.
Q: You type all of your code in which IDE/Text Editor/Software?
IntelliJ IDEA. VSCode still hasn’t managed to catch me as every time I try it, it doesn’t quite do all the things I’m used to in IntelliJ products. It gets more and more enticing though with recent updates and AI integrations but I’m rolling with IntelliJ for now as it still feels like a superior product.
Q: How has working as a web developer/designer/professional benefited you other than the obvious paycheck and monetary value?
I would have to say freedom – if I need time to unwind, I can take it, and my income can increase if I need it by taking on my work so the reward reflects the work. Fixed work hours for fixed pay has always been a challenging concept for me. Being an independent freelancer with the freedom to take on the jobs that work for me is something I would find very hard to give up – it would take a massive salary and a lot of flexibility to convince me.
Q: Do you have a book, newsletter, blog, podcast, or other resource you would recommend to other developers?
Hmmm… I used to listen to a lot of developer podcasts and subscribe to blogs but these days I just don’t have a lot of time for it and when the work is done for the day, I’d rather do simpler things. I’ve been spending a little time recently watching videos from web designers so I can get better at design and I tend to hear about WordPress news and changes via my X/Twitter network which is more than enough for me at the moment. Perhaps that’s a better strategy – build a network of skilled people who share good things and let them do the curating for you.
Q: What hobbies or activities do you do for fun?
I like to ride my motorbike or, if I’m with my kids, we’ll go for a hike in the bush. Our latest interest has been checking out waterfalls. I don’t mind a little Call of Duty in small doses and of course, a bit of binge-watching via streaming services.
Q: Where can readers go to learn more about you and any projects you may have going?
My website is in dire need of a redesign (in the works) but if people want to connect with me about tech, X/Twitter is a good place for that. Anyone interested in checkout out my plugins can go to https://hookturn.io/.
Thank you, Phil Kurth, for sharing your knowledge and insights with the OpenLampTech newsletter readers and community!
Thank you for reading. I hope you have a great rest of your week.
Take care.
Josh Otwell