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Using Parcel as a Bundler for React Applications
25.4.2019
You may already be familiar with webpack for asset management on projects. However, there’s another cool tool out there called Parcel, which is comparable to webpack in that it helps with hassle-free asset bundling. Where Parcel really shines is that it requires zero configuration to get up...
Moving from Gulp to Parcel
25.4.2019
Ben Frain just made some notes about the switch from Gulp to Parcel, a relatively new "web application bundler" which, from a quick look at things, is similar to webpack but without all the hassle of setting things up. One of the things I’ve always disliked about webpack is that you kinda have...
An Introduction To Storybook: Organize How You Build JS Components
24.4.2019
What is Storybook?
Storybook is an open source tool for developing UI components in isolation and it integrates pretty well with most front end fram
Netlify Functions for Sending Emails
23.4.2019
Let's say you're rocking a JAMstack-style site (no server-side languages in use), but you want to do something rather dynamic like send an email. Not a problem! That's the whole point of JAMstack. It's not just static hosting. It's that plus doing anything else you wanna do through JavaScript...
Faking env() to Use it Now
18.4.2019
There is already an env() function in CSS, but it kinda came out of nowhere as an Apple thing for dealing with "The Notch" but it has made it's way to be a draft spec. The point will be for UAs or authors to declare variables that cannot be changed. Global const for CSS, sorta.
That spec doesn't...
Using the Web Speech API for Multilingual Translations
12.4.2019
Since the early days of science fiction, we have fantasized about machines that talk to us. Today it is commonplace. Even so, the technology for making websites talk is still pretty new.
We can make our pages on the web talk using the SpeechSynthesis part of the Web Speech API. This is still...
Yet Another JavaScript Framework
1.4.2019
On March 6, 2018, a new bug was added to the official Mozilla Firefox browser bug tracker. A developer had noticed an issue with Mozilla's nightly build. The report noted that a 14-day weather forecast widget typically featured on a German website had all of a sudden broken and disappeared. Nothing...
Free Programming Courses from Harvard, MIT, Microsoft and more (Sponsored)
26.3.2019
Did you know that you can learn programming online from institutions like Harvard, MIT and Microsoft on edX.org? The nonprofit site offers 2000 online courses from 140 institutions worldwide. Courses are free to try. EdX has over 200 courses from Microsoft alone, including an 11 course program...
It’s pretty cool how Netlify CMS works with any flat file site generator
21.3.2019
Little confession here: when I first saw Netlify CMS at a glance, I thought: cool, maybe I'll try that someday when I'm exploring CMSs for a new project. Then as I looked at it with fresh eyes: I can already use this! It's a true CMS in that it adds a content management UI on top of any static site...
Some Notes About Accessibility
20.3.2019
Earlier this month Eric Bailey wrote about the current state of accessibility on the web and why it felt like fighting an uphill battle:
As someone with a good deal of interest in the digital accessibility space, I follow WebAIM’s work closely. Their survey results are priceless insights into...
Chrome Lite Pages
19.3.2019
The Chrome team announced a new feature called Lite Pages that can be activated by flipping on the Data Saver option on an Android device:
Chrome on Android’s Data Saver feature helps by automatically optimizing web pages to make them load faster. When users are facing network or data constraints...
Setting Up a Node Project With Typescript
18.3.2019
Node, a run-time environment that makes it possible to write server-side JavaScript, has gained a lot of adoption since its release in 201
Getting into GraphQL with AWS AppSync
12.3.2019
GraphQL is becoming increasingly popular. The problem is that if you are a front-end developer, you are only half of the way there. GraphQL is not just a client technology. The server also has to be implemented according to the specification. This means that in order to implement GraphQL into your...
Stackbit
12.3.2019
This is not a sponsored post. I requested a beta access for this site called Stackbit a while back, got my invite the other day, and thought it was a darn fine idea that's relevant to us web nerds — particularly those of us who spin up a lot of JAMstack sites.
I'm a big fan of the whole idea...
Moving a Self-Hosted WordPress Site to WordPress.com
26.2.2019
I have a habit of getting some hosting when I need a new WordPress site. That is, a self-installed, self-hosted WordPress.org site. That's served me well over the years. I like my control. But along with that control comes a certain level of extra responsibility that sometimes just isn't worth...
CSS Variables + calc() + rgb() = Enforcing High Contrast Colors
21.2.2019
As you may know, the recent updates and additions to CSS are extremely powerful. From Flexbox to Grid, and — what we’re concerned about here — Custom Properties (aka CSS variables), all of which make robust and dynamic layouts and interfaces easier than ever while opening up many other...
The Cloud is Just Someone Else's Computer
17.2.2019
When we started Discourse in 2013, our server requirements were high:
1GB RAM
modern, fast dual core CPU
speedy solid state drive
I'm not talking about a cheapo shared cpanel server, either, I mean a dedicated virtual private server with those specifications.
We were OK with that, because we were
“the closest thing web standards have to a golden rule”
14.2.2019
The internet's own Mat Marquis plucks this choice quote from the HTML Design Principals spec:
In case of conflict, consider users over authors over implementors over specifiers over theoretical purity.
And then he applies the idea to putting images on websites in 2019.
Direct Link to Article...
Testing React and Redux Apps with Jest
5.2.2019
React is a popular library for building user interfaces created by Facebook. Redux on the other hand is a wonderful s
Testing React and Redux Apps with Jest
5.2.2019
React is a popular library for building user interfaces created by Facebook. Redux on the other hand is a wonderful s