2023.02.20 - Writing Javascript without a build system

Title: 2023.02.20 - Writing Javascript without a build system

Deno & WebContainer & React Documentary & 金三银四 & Team Culture Transmission

This Week’s Highlights

Writing Javascript without a build system https://jvns.ca/blog/2023/02/16/writing-javascript-without-a-build-system/
I want to talk about what’s appealing to me about build systems, why I (usually) still don’t use them, and why I find it frustrating that some frontend Javascript libraries require that you use a build system. I’m writing this because most of the writing I see about JS assumes that you’re using a build system, and it can be hard to navigate for folks like me.

https://matklad.github.io/2023/02/12/a-love-letter-to-deno.html
Deno is a relatively new JavaScript runtime. I find it quite interesting and aesthetically appealing, in line with the recent trend to rein in the “worse‑is‑better” law of software evolution. This post explains why. Related:

• Ryan Dahl, Node.js Creator, Wants to Rebuild the Runtime of the Web
• The Future of the Web is Hyperlocal

Announcing Sandpack 2.0 and a Node.js runtime for any browser https://codesandbox.io/blog/announcing-sandpack-2
We are beyond excited to introduce Sandpack 2.0, which brings a Node.js runtime that runs in every browser. Related: Stackbiz - WebContainer API is here.

React.js: The Documentary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pDqJVdNa44 https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/606298951
React is easily one of the single most popular libraries in use today. Given that it was made within a juggernaut like Facebook, you might have assumed it was always destined for success. What if we told you that React’s first brush with the public sphere was anything but glamorous? React.js: The Documentary brings you the full story behind the early days of React, focusing on the dedicated group of developers who helped bring it to the world stage. This story is told by an all‑star cast of developers like Tom Occhino, Christopher Chedeau, Pete Hunt, Sebastian Markbåge, Dan Abramov, and many more. Related:

• 'React Isn't Great at Anything Except Being Popular' with Josh Collinsworth
• Adopting React in the Early Days
• How Rust went from a side project to the world’s most‑loved programming language

The modern web’s underrated powerhouse https://github.com/readme/featured/css-future
Though it’s not a full‑fledged programming language like JavaScript, CSS is incredibly powerful. Take a look at designer, front‑end developer, and artist Lynn Fisher’s website A Single Div, where she draws complex illustrations using only CSS, or her old portfolio site that changes wildly as you resize it, for examples of just how much you can do with CSS. Once a fairly limited and restrictive approach to styling pages, CSS has become a highly adaptive system for designing web applications, thanks to the dedicated community around it. Related: Container queries land in stable browsers, How to Inspect Interactions in the Browser.

In‑Depth Reading

Core‑JS chief complains open source is broken, no one will pay for it https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/15/corejs_russia_open_source https://github.com/zloirock/core-js/blob/master/docs/2023-02-14-so-whats-next.md
Denis Pushkarev, maintainer of the core‑js library used by millions of websites, says he's ready to give up open‑source development because so few people pay for the software upon which they depend.

Maybe people do care about performance and reliability https://buttondown.email/hillelwayne/archive/maybe-people-do-care-about-performance-and/
But they are victims of complex societal factors that are beyond their control.

Sometimes Optimization Is About More Than Code https://www.simplethread.com/sometimes-optimization-is-about-more-than-code/
Sometimes when you’re running into an optimization problem, you need to step back and ask yourself if the current solution is optimal for the user. There are certainly valid situations where loading a ton of data and displaying it to the user is ideal. But often if you’re running into performance issues because you’re showing too much data, you’ve passed the point where the user can reason about what you’re showing them. At that point it can be time to step back, think about what your user needs, and redirect your efforts.

The Wallpapering Principle https://glazkov.com/2023/02/14/the-wallpapering-principle/
This principle builds on the layering principle, and deals with a common decision point that most software developers reach many times in the course of their work.

Are No‑Code Tools A Good Choice For Developers? https://marmelab.com/blog/2023/02/17/build-a-react-admin-like-interface-in-no-code.html
To conclude, I think it requires the knowledge of a developer to tweak no‑code tools such as Retool enough to build moderately complex apps. And developers are more productive with low‑code tools… So I wouldn't recommend it, except for simple dashboards.

Coding 102: Writing code other people can read https://stackoverflow.blog/2023/02/13/coding-102-writing-code-other-people-can-read/
That bootcamp may have taught you to write code that works. But the next level is to write code that works with other people.

Is “GraphQL Mesh” the Next Big Thing? https://remotesynthesis.com/blog/is-graphql-mesh-the-next-big-thing/
Let’s take two recent acquisitions, Netlify’s acquisition of Gatsby and IBM’s acquisition of StepZen. Both companies focus on allowing companies to bring together a variety of data sources under a single umbrella via GraphQL (Gatsby via their Valhalla product, which I argue was the real motivation behind the acquisition). Is this the beginning of a pattern? Does this mean that GraphQL Mesh might be the next big thing? Let’s look at what GraphQL Mesh is and I’ll share my thoughts on where it might be headed.

SQLite: the only database you will ever need in most cases https://www.unixsheikh.com/articles/sqlite-the-only-database-you-will-ever-need-in-most-cases.html
In contrast to many other database management systems, SQLite is not a client‑server database engine, but you actually very rarely need that. If your application software runs on the same physical machine as the database, which is what most small‑to‑medium‑sized web applications do, then you probably only need SQLite.

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Originally written by Ping Xia (平侠) and published in Chinese on Web技术周刊 (Web Tech Weekly). Translated and adapted for DriftSeas with permission.