My Notes
Is React already legacy? Is Angular any better? Ok, then let’s use Svelte, Remix or HTMX[1]?
Maybe the problem lies in defaulting to Single Page Apps, which means defaulting to complexity. The idea of server-side rendered HTML[2] being old and boring really hurts our profession. Because, if we default to complexity, the resulting software usually shows how little we care. It’s not accessible, it does not work on last-gen devices or on spotty connections and it’s not maintainable — needing a rewrite just after the first release.
The essential component of this mindset shift is replacing hopes based on promises with constraints based on research and evidence. This aligns with what it means to commit wanton acts of engineering because engineering is the practice of designing solutions to problems for users and society under known constraints.
The opposite of engineering is imagining that constraints do not exist or do not apply to your product. The shorthand for this is “bullshit.” If Not React, Then What?, infrequently.org, Nov 29, 2024
And for what? So that we could have a little bit of fun with shiny new objects and add new buzzwords to our CVs[3]. And, a sad reality in many companies, can happily split up in frontend and backend sub-teams within the team. This allows us to not discuss domain and design first and start hacking immediately[4] — avoiding the problems we engineers really should solve.
So, great article. Really hit a nerve here 😅
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Disclaimer: I do really like a little bit of HTMX on top of my HTML and the hypermedia book is awesome. ↩
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Which is now often referred to as MPA - Multi Page App. While the term fits, I don’t like the notion that the image of the traditional web is so bad that we must rebrand it. ↩
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Recruiters, tech influencers and managers are all adding fuel to the fire. ↩
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Sadly, that mindset is more common in the frontend space. ↩