This is reprinted from Amazing Coder on February 10, 2009.

Hello and welcome to a first in a series of interviews we’re going be releasing at the speed of two a month, to you, our very valued readers. Our first interview is with a very special person out in Louisiana, David Link. As I was going through twitter before the re-launch I realised I followed a great person and totally forgot that I had him on AIM, With a snap I was IMing him and David was more than happy to help out. So without further a do, here is the interview, Hope you enjoy it and please leave a comment, we’ll get back to David with any questions you post in a few weeks.

First of all, Could you lead us through a brief history of you’re life? Where you live, what you do?

Sure. I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1984 (That makes me 24 years old). I’ve lived in Louisiana my whole life. I graduated from Louisiana State University in May 2007 with a BFA in Graphic Design. It was then I began working for Gatorworks Web Design in Baton Rouge. I started out there as a strictly designer. But since then, my responsibilities have grown to include not only design, but all aspects of front-end development as well.

How did you get started out on the web and what inspired you to get into coding?

When I was a kid (around 11 or 12), web design was really young. In fact, from what I understand, the first website was published only a few years before then. But I had always been really interested in art (thus my decision to study design). And around that age, I began to take an increasingly larger interest in computers as well. My interest in computers led to my inevitable obsession with the Internet. So, one day my dad bought me an HTML book to learn how to make my own webpages. And the rest is history.

What languages do you code and which one do you think is more 1. powerful, 2. simple and 3. you enjoy more?

I code in (X)HTML, CSS, JavaScript (jQuery), ActionScript, and I’m just beginning to get going with some more PHP.

Which one is most powerful? Hmm… that’s a difficult question. Obviously PHP is super-powerful, but to me, CSS gives you the biggest bang for your buck. Just a few small changes in CSS can completely reface an entire website.

Simple? jQuery. “Write less, do more” is their motto and this amazing little JavaScript library definitely lives up to its promise.

My favorite? Currently, it’s PHP. I started learning about PHP so I could develop themes for WordPress. And now that I’m learning more and more, I’m really starting to have some fun with it.

What sites you use for inspiration and do you recommend any to our readers?

For design inspiration, some of my mainstays are Design Meltdown, Fuel Your Creativity and Abduzeedo. For dev tips/tricks, I always turn to CSS-Tricks, Sharebrain, Smashing Magazine and NETTUTS.

Do you have any other hobbies? if so what are they and why do you enjoy them?

Of course I do! No one can live their whole life buried in code! When it’s time to unwind, I like to shoot a few dudes on Xbox Live, watch movies, play guitar, and I really love to cook.

Do you run a PC, or a Mac, why?

I’m a Mac. I switched about 6 years ago and haven’t looked back. I love the smoothness of the interface and the overall aesthetic of the applications. Since I bought my first Mac, I’ve always felt more productive. And that reason alone is enough to keep me on one. Oh! And the apps…

What software couldn’t you live without and could you name 3 reasons?

TextMate (from Macromates) is running on my computer at all times. The absolute best text editor I have ever used, and its user community continue to make it even better all the time.  TextMate’s numerous bundles, intuitive tab-triggers, and ever-growing usefulness make it my number one most indispensable tool. Of course, I also need to mention Transmit (from Panic) because it’s certainly the greatest FTP client I’ve ever come across and I couldn’t live with out it, either.

When you first started out, how did you promote yourself? If at all?

I actually just recently started promoting myself. Although I can certainly now see the importance of self-promotion, it was something I never seemed to make time to focus on before now. I definitely wish I would’ve started when I was younger. You really gotta put yourself out there if you ever want people to notice you.

What was the first coding job you ever got?

Some of the first coding jobs I ever got were tiny ActionScript projects I picked up in college. I found a great client through a site called Rent-A-Coder, and that was really where I first starting making actual money for doing the stuff I had been doing for fun all that time. Lucky for me, I still get paid for having fun.

Finally, Where can we find you on the web, Be that your twitter, portfolio or other?

My personal blog is located at http://upsidestudio.com and you can follow me on Twitter via @davidlink. Thanks!

This is reprinted from Amazing Coder on February 10, 2009.