Today we are joined by Nathan Moinvaziri of Webshots and the ExtractNow.Check out more about his projects from Here.
Q. Hello,Nathan Please introduce yourself and share some facts about yourself.
Nathan: I am just your below average, 23 year old, software developer, residing in Phoenix, Arizona.
Q. How’d you get started with computers and build up your skill set?
Nathan: I got started with computers when I was younger. There was always a computer in the house. At first it was computer games that I was interested into. Then I got into making small modifications to those games. And eventually that lead me to programming. The overall skill set that I now have are what I would consider “the fruits of my labor”. I spent so much time on the computer when I was younger and even now that the more time I spent the more I learn. It is just all a matter of time. When I was still in school I would spend the whole summer on the computer. Then when I started working doing different odd jobs I would come home and program. I ended up learning a lot during these periods when I had tons of free time to just “study”. I eventually landed a job at my current employer. Working with them and Mark Thompson from AnalogX has helped my coding a lot. Through my continual desire to improve, I have learned a lot about software programming and architecture.
Q. What made you want to start Webshots?
Nathan: In 2004 the company I worked for was going to be developing a game search engine and the lead developer suggested that I find a way to capture images of websites on my own time. I started working on it and got it into a workable state. I abandoned it for about 2 years after which I restarted the project in 2006.
Q. Other than Webshots, do you have any other projects on the go?
Nathan: I have of course ExtractNow which I maintain. There are other projects I work on for work. Right now I am focusing on WebShot, and the library that it and ExtractNow uses.
Q. Which is your favourite programming language? Which tool you use for creating apps like webshot?
Nathan: C is by far my favorite language. It offers more control than some of the newer languages do. All of my applications use the latest version of Microsoft Visual Studio.
Q.How much time do you usually spend on computers/proramming ?
Nathan: Too much. I would say about 10-12 hours or more in a given day.
Q. What are your hobbies and interests away from the desk?
Nathan: For me programming has always been a hobby. Sometimes when it gets boring I watch a television show or read.
Q. Who or what in your life would you say influenced you most?
Nathan: Firstly probably my dad, because without him, we wouldn’t have had a computer around the house, and I would not have been interested in computers at all.
Q. Your favourite stuff from : Food/T.V.Show/Music/Website ?
Nathan: My favorite food is middle eastern/mediterranean. I watch many television shows (thanks to bittorrent). Some of the ones I like are Lost, The 4400, Battlestar Galatica, Stargate, Rome, Entourage. Chill music is the best music for me to program to.
Q. Any advice you’d give to new programmers?
Nathan: Learn to learn by example. In the beginning you can learn a lot by looking at other people’s example code and then modifying it to suit your needs. I also recommend reading Code Complete for mid-level programmers. It teaches some concepts that I wish I had known earlier than I did.
Q. Do you have any plans for the future of Webshots?
Nathan: Fix any bugs that present themselves.
Well that’s it.Thanks for taking the time to chat with me.Looking forward to more of your projects in future.