2024.03.11 - The quiet, pervasive devaluation of frontend

Title: 2024.03.11 – The Quiet, Pervasive Devaluation of Frontend

Alive using Golang & 道家按摩法 & 富贵

This Week’s Highlights

The quiet, pervasive devaluation of frontend https://joshcollinsworth.com/blog/devaluing-frontend
There’s a trend I’ve noticed—or at least, I think I’ve noticed. It’s the kind of thing that’s hard to be sure of; the kind that might genuinely be true, or might simply appear to be true if you look at it a certain way. I can’t tell if I’m right, or if the shapes I’m envisioning in arbitrary ink blots say more about me than they do about what I’m observing. Maybe it’s both. Maybe it’s all subjective gray area and I’m just picking a spot to draw a line. I guess you can decide for yourself.

Why Browsers Get Built https://infrequently.org/2024/03/why-browsers-get-built/
There are only two‑and‑a‑half reasons to build a browser, and they couldn't be more different in intent and outcome, even when they look superficially similar. Learning to tell the difference is helpful for browser project managers and engineers, but also working web developers who struggle to develop theories of change for affecting browser teams.

Eloquent JavaScript https://eloquentjavascript.net/
This is a book about instructing computers. Computers are about as common as screwdrivers today, but they are quite a bit more complex, and making them do what you want them to do isn’t always easy.

How I keep myself Alive using Golang https://www.bytesizego.com/blog/keeping-alive-with-go
In this blog I explore how I use an incident‑management mindset to manage a complex medical condition. I hope you enjoy it! Related: Go 2022‑2024 and beyond: Let’s talk about AI.

Introducing AI SDK 3.0 with Generative UI support https://vercel.com/blog/ai-sdk-3-generative-ui
Stream React components from LLMs to deliver richer user experiences. Related:

• AI Is Like a Lossy JPEG
• Stable Diffusion 3: Research Paper
• Introducing the next generation of Claude

Deep Reads

How We Built The Deals Tab in Swift UI https://www.etsy.com/codeascraft/how-we-built-the-deals-tab-in-swift-ui
We spotted an opportunity to clarify intentions for our users: by refactoring favorite‑based updates into the Favorites tab, and (more boldly) by recentering Updates and transforming it into a hub for a buyer’s deals.

Improving Shopify App’s Performance https://shopify.engineering/improving-shopify-app-s-performance
In this blog post, we’re sharing how we did it and hope others use it as inspiration to make their apps faster. After all, not all fast software is great, but all great software is fast.

How GitHub uses merge queue to ship hundreds of changes every day https://github.blog/2024-03-06-how-github-uses-merge-queue-to-ship-hundreds-of-changes-every-day/
Here's how merge queue transformed the way GitHub deploys changes to production at scale, so you can do the same for your organization.

What I Learned About Software From Building a Chicken Coop https://www.simplethread.com/what-i-learned-about-software-from-building-a-chicken-coop/
I would not call myself a homesteader, but I have begun to dip my toes into the world of raising chickens. I’m doing so together with my wife, and if I’m being honest, it has mostly been her passion project. She did all of the research and I have mostly just been along for the ride. But since I’m an insufferable software developer, I had to find a way to somehow relate the chicken‑raising journey to software engineering. So I’m going to talk about the construction of their home, and what I learned from building the chicken coop. Related: Ice farming and web development.

Why we prefer computers over consoles when introducing kids to gaming https://www.bryanbraun.com/2024/03/08/why-we-prefer-computers-over-consoles-when-introducing-kids-to-gaming/
I grew up gaming on consoles like Nintendo 64 and GameCube. I have a lot of fond memories playing games with my brothers on those devices. But as my own kids have gotten older, my wife and I have decided to first introduce them to gaming with computers, instead of consoles.

Python Upgrade Playbook https://eng.lyft.com/python-upgrade-playbook-1479145d52f4
In this post, we’ll cover how Lyft upgrades Python at scale — 1500+ repos spanning 150+ teams — and the latest iteration of the tools and strategy we’ve built to optimize both the overall time to upgrade and the work required from our engineers. We’ve successfully used (and evolved) this playbook over multiple upgrades, from Python 2 to Python 3.10 and hope you find it useful!

Fresh Finds

Announcing TypeScript 5.4 Swift 5.10 Released React Unforget: A compiler for React that optimizes components and hooks for performance and readability. PixiJS v8 Launches!

Observable 2.0: an open‑source static site generator for data apps, dashboards, reports, and more Kagi + Wolfram Monodraw: Powerful ASCII art editor designed for the Mac

Products & Others

黄中宫按摩手法合辑 https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jzPnHhjAU6PADyUsYG9Hag https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Ie20V0u0jrGXJz4UnEKwdA
Zhang Zhishun, an elder Taoist priest, says: these massage techniques were learned decades ago from a senior priest on Mount Wudang. Since mastering Taoist massage, he no longer needs needles or medicine—the results are fast and effective. A typical practitioner can say a few words and the ailment clears up instantly; he even cured more than a dozen cases of severe vomiting…

用产假提升自己——遇见更好的自己 https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YBz3uLjX_3OJWkkxqvDbWg
Six months of maternity leave are about to end. Before returning to work, I’m reflecting on this rich, interesting, and eventful half‑year.

雷声唤醒生命——惊蛰手记 https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/YWLvWxmf6YzxyU3x99NNqg
The first spring thunder sounds, awakening hibernation; all things revive and sprout. Regional customs evolve, bringing fresh spring practices that nurture vitality.

有口气的人，是因为身体的“排污管道”堵了 https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/pMdIPtedwG8zOjv0nqkIcQ
Many marketing posts claim bad breath comes from bacteria on the teeth, blaming inadequate brushing and recommending better toothpaste, mouthwash, dental floss, or gum. From a traditional Chinese medicine perspective, persistent bad breath isn’t due to unclean teeth but to a malfunctioning digestive system—the body’s “waste‑removal pipeline” is blocked.

蔡志忠：什么是真正的“富贵” https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/olBSl6s6Onh6gz9NN8VqfQ
True “wealth and honor” means, as a member of society, obtaining riches through legitimate means and a righteous heart—this is what truly deserves our learning and admiration.

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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.