Project - Where It All Began

Overview

Every developer has an origin story. Mine started with curiosity, and a lot of trial and error. Before I ever wrote a line of professional code, I spent years experimenting — building things nobody asked for, breaking things I didn't understand, and learning by doing.

Websites for Friends & Family

My first real projects were simple websites built for people in my network. Static HTML pages, basic PHP forms, small MySQL databases. Nothing groundbreaking, but each one taught me something new about how the web worked. These projects gave me my first taste of turning an idea into something people could actually use.

PHP Scripts & Failed Personal Projects

I wrote an enormous amount of PHP during this period. Most of it was for personal projects that never went anywhere — half-finished content management systems, experimental tools, scrapers, and utilities. The success rate was low, but the learning rate was high. Every failed project left behind knowledge that would prove useful later.

The Delphi Browser

The most technically ambitious project from this era was a custom web browser built in Delphi, powered by IE6 rendering components. It was built with a very specific purpose: gaining an edge in click-based multiplayer browser games.

The browser included:

• Built-in IRC client — For real-time coordination with other players directly inside the browser.
• Custom automation tools — Scripted actions tailored to specific game mechanics. Gathering information, finding new targets and so forth.

It was hacky, it was niche, and it was incredibly fun to build. More importantly, it was my first experience building a genuinely complex desktop application — dealing with COM components, threading, network protocols, and user interface design all at once.

What It Taught Me

These early years weren't about building a portfolio. They were about developing the instinct to solve problems with code. The habit of asking "can I build this?" and then figuring it out — that started here, and it never stopped.