2023.07.03 - The Cost Of JavaScript

Title: 2023.07.03 – The Cost Of JavaScript

Software Requirements & XML & Acquire Knowledge from Readings & 做个明白人 & 文化主体性

This Week’s Highlights

The Cost Of JavaScript – 2023 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKH3DLT4BKw
As we build sites that rely more heavily on JavaScript, we sometimes pay for what we send down in ways that aren’t always obvious. In this talk, Addy explains how and why JavaScript is the most expensive resource your site uses today—especially on mobile and lower‑end desktops.

The hardest part of building software is not coding, it’s requirements https://stackoverflow.blog/2023/06/26/the-hardest-part-of-building-software-is-not-coding-its-requirements/
Why replacing programmers with AI won’t be so easy.

REACT JAM: Build and play games together! https://reactjam.com/
React Jam is an online event where React developers come together to design and develop innovative games within a limited timeframe. Join us to showcase your skills, experiment with ideas, and learn from the vibrant React community. Build fully functional games using React as your primary technology stack, regardless of your experience level. Unleash your creativity and embark on an exciting journey of game development!

XML is the future https://www.bitecode.dev/p/hype-cycles
My first hype exposure was “use the Extensible Markup Language for everything.” Learning from it allowed me to live through the front‑end stack explosion, the micro‑service overdose, and many, many more silly trends. It turns out Grandma was right: eat vegetables, exercise, sleep well, and use the right tool for the right job. (She didn’t say the last part, but she could have.)

How to Do Great Work http://paulgraham.com/greatwork.html
If you collected lists of techniques for doing great work across many fields, what would the intersection look like? I decided to find out by making one. Partly my goal was to create a guide that could be used by anyone, but I was also curious about the shape of the intersection. One thing this exercise shows is that it does have a definite shape; it’s not just a point labelled “work hard.” The following recipe assumes you’re very ambitious.

Deep Reads

Using htmx with Go to Make Full‑Stack Apps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9H6vYelYyU
In this video we’ll explore how to integrate HTMX with the Go programming language on the server.

Is ORM still an anti‑pattern? https://github.com/getlago/lago/wiki/Is-ORM-still-an-'anti-pattern'%3F
Ironically, this “ORMs aren’t that bad” defense piece was inspired by a negative ORM incident we experienced at Lago that made us question our reliance on Active Record, the Ruby on Rails ORM. A tempting title would have been “ORMs kinda suck,” but after some reflection we concluded that ORMs don’t suck; they are simply an abstraction with a quintessential pro and con—they hide some visibility and occasionally incur performance hits. That’s about it. Today, let’s dive into ORMs, their common criticisms, and the ones that matter in today’s context.

Fast machines, slow machines https://jmmv.dev/2023/06/fast-machines-slow-machines.html
To start, I’ll stand my ground: latency in modern computer interfaces, with modern OSes and modern applications, is terrible and getting worse. This applies to smartphones as well. At the same time, while UIs were much more responsible on older computers, those machines were also awful in many ways; new systems have changed our lives substantially. So, what gives?

Building Boba AI https://martinfowler.com/articles/building-boba.html
Some lessons and patterns learned in building an LLM‑powered generative application. Related:

• Humans may be more likely to believe disinformation generated by AI
• LLM Tech and a Lot More: Version 13.3 of Wolfram Language and Mathematica
• Is it too late to fix the problem of AI clutter on the web?
• The economic impact of the AI‑powered developer lifecycle and lessons from GitHub Copilot
• Announcing the first Machine Unlearning Challenge
• Insights from global conversations
• 用ChatGPT搭建代码知识库，提升开发效率

Fresh Finds

• Introducing the MDN Playground: Bring your code to life!
• svelte.dev: A complete overhaul
• The massive bug at the heart of the npm ecosystem
• Introducing Nightwatch v3: Fully integrated, easy‑to‑use end‑to‑end testing framework for web applications and websites written in Node.js.
• Kysely: The type‑safe SQL query builder for TypeScript
• Typist: The mighty Tiptap‑based rich‑text editor that powers Doist products.
• Zotero Better Notes: Everything about note management. All in Zotero.
• The AWK Programming Language, Second Edition

Products & Others

The Best Way to Acquire Knowledge from Readings https://medium.com/heptabase/the-best-way-to-acquire-knowledge-from-readings-abf9357814d1
In this article I share a real‑world example of how I developed an effective method for acquiring, retaining, and applying knowledge using Heptabase, a tool my team and I created for learning and research. While this isn’t the only workflow for learning, it has worked extremely well for me, and I believe almost anyone can apply it to their own learning. Related: A few words on taking notes.

Who killed Google Reader? https://www.theverge.com/23778253/google-reader-death-2013-rss-social https://chriscoyier.net/2023/07/01/social-rss/
Ten years after its untimely death, the team that built the much‑beloved feed reader reflects on what went wrong and what could have been.

Wang Defeng’s Philosophy Class: Wang Yangming, Xin Xue, “Chuan Xi Lu” https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/FK7QFocCeOI9QD3JSZti6A
Originating from Professor Wang Defeng’s lectures on Bilibili (the Chinese video platform), this series consists of two talks totaling about 10 hours: “Wang Yangming’s Xin Xue and Its Modern Significance” and “Chuan Xi Lu.” The content overlaps, so they are combined here for convenience.

Zhuangzi: Remember These Five Sentences and Be a Clear‑Minded Person! https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/bHbSmOZ1MDjU0vgHWebNqQ
Life is like a play; joys and sorrows belong to us alone. Only by living wisely can we live brilliantly. Keep Zhuangzi’s five pearls of wisdom in mind and you’ll become a clear‑minded person. Love yourself first, then you can love others. Self‑knowledge enables great achievements. Quarreling over right and wrong shows a lack of perspective. When you cannot act, go with the flow. A clear mind prevents you from getting lost.

Consolidating Cultural Subjectivity https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/-XyjSsiM4dEoQT2GFMCT
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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.