Modern Web

On this episode of Modern Web, Tracy Lee, Ben Lesh, Adam Rackis, and Dax Raad discussed the cloud offerings of SST and the advantages of using AWS. Adam was excited about SST's cloud wrappers and the fact that they were built with Solid instead of React to meet ambitious performance requirements. SST helps people build on AWS by simplifying the hundreds of services available and providing an experience that allows users to become experts in AWS. Dax discussed his experience with React and Solid, and the trade offs between the two.

[00:02:40] Building on AWS made easy.[00:06:00] Simplifying AWS: Less than five services.[00:10:43] Hidden gem: IoT core pubsub real-time.[00:14:33] AWS back-end and front-end support.[00:17:20] Reaching new audiences with NextJS.[00:20:06] Simplicity over complexity: Solid wins.[00:24:01] GitHub-powered effortless development for all.[00:26:24] Serverless event-driven architecture solves cold start issue.[00:30:13] Granular auto-scaling, milliseconds up/down.

Sponsored by This Dot Labs

In this podcast episode, hosts Rob Ocel, Alyssa Nicoll, and Mark Thompson discuss the "Angular Renaissance." They reflect on Angular's evolution from its early days through the pivotal transition to Ivy to the current trend of biannual releases, highlighting the community's warm and supportive nature. The focus then shifts to the upcoming release of Angular 17, emphasizing the significance of control flow features and deferred loading in optimizing applications. The team underscores the importance of community engagement, evidence-driven development, and the promising future of Angular. They also tease an upcoming developer event in November, encouraging listeners to stay updated on the latest developments.

This episode is sponsored by This Dot Labs.

In this podcast episode, Tracy Lee, Ben Lesh, and guest Adam Rackis talk through the successful fusion of TypeScript and React. They chat about various web frameworks, like Angular and Svelte, emphasizing the impact of TypeScript support on the development process. The episode also highlights the excitement around Svelte's new feature, signals, and speculates on its potential standardization, as well as React 18's challenges and the evolution of the React ecosystem.

Sponsored by This Dot Labs.

In this podcast episode, Jerome Hardaway and Rob Ocel explore AI-powered development. They discuss the importance of active engagement in tech communities and the value of skill development. Jerome highlights the changing landscape for junior developers and the availability of free online resources for learning.

The episode also emphasizes AI's practical benefits, such as boosting productivity and aiding job readiness. It dispels misconceptions about AI hindering creativity, presenting it as a valuable tool for developers.

This episode is sponsored by CircleCI.

In this episode, hosts Rob Ocel and Tracy Lee are joined by Chuck Carpenter and Robbie Wagner from the Whiskey Web and Whatnot podcast. They discuss the future of web development, highlighting the industry's shift towards performance-focused development over flashy animations. They explore the longevity of jQuery, the use cases of frameworks like AngularJS and Ember, and the potential for combining components of Ember with Astro. The hosts also touch on the challenges of convincing stakeholders about performance and the need for developers to prioritize foundational web skills. Throughout, Robbie and Chuck share insights from The Whiskey Web and Whatnot podcast, celebrating its 100th episode.

Sponsored by This Dot Labs.

In this podcast episode, Rob Ocel chats with Kathleen McMahon, a senior design systems engineer at Northwestern Mutual and a key contributor to the W3C Design Tokens Community Group.  

Kathleen McMahon kicks off the conversation by defining design systems as versatile collections of patterns and efficiencies that streamline workflows in design and engineering. She emphasizes that design systems can encompass diverse elements, such as design patterns, component libraries, CSS frameworks, and more, tailored to the unique needs of a company or product. The focus isn't on rigidity but rather on promoting consistency and efficiency while allowing flexibility for innovation.

The dialogue then shifts to Kathleen's role as a design systems engineer and the dynamic nature of her work, influenced by factors like team size and company maturity. Kathleen shares her experiences in both small, multifaceted teams and larger, specialized teams at Northwestern Mutual. She provides insights into the varied responsibilities, from creating design tokens and components to ensuring accessibility and collaborating with diverse stakeholders.

Rob and Kathleen delve into the invaluable role of design systems in simplifying workflows for designers and developers. Kathleen highlights how design systems liberate creative energy by offering reusable patterns, enabling teams to focus on solving more complex problems. They also explore the strategic decision of whether to build a design system within a specific framework or keep it framework-agnostic, shedding light on the considerations and potential challenges associated with third-party component libraries.

The episode culminates with a discussion of ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) and its pivotal role in enhancing accessibility within design systems. Kathleen discusses the opportunities and challenges of leveraging libraries like Adobe's React ARIA hooks for accessibility.

This episode is sponsored by This Dot Labs.

In this episode of the Modern Web podcast, host Rob Ocel engages in a conversation with Willow, also known as Ghost. Willow is not only one of the co-founders of Svelte Sirens but also an active member of the Svelte community, known for her contributions and expertise.

The episode dives into Willow's personal journey into web development. Willow shares how she stumbled upon Svelte through a YouTube video and was immediately drawn to its exceptional capabilities. She described the pivotal moment when she realized Svelte’s potential to revolutionize web development.

One of the key highlights of the episode is the emergence of SvelteKit and its transformative effect on web development. Willow underscores the remarkable flexibility of SvelteKit, emphasizing how it allows developers to effortlessly tackle various project types, from single-page applications (SPAs) to static websites, all without the burden of extensive configuration overhead.

HostRob Ocel- Architect and Engineering Lead at This Dot Labs

GuestWillow aka GHOST-  Co-Founder of Svelte Sirens

This episode is sponsored by This Dot Labs

In this episode, Rob Ocel is joined by Kayla Sween to discuss her tech journey, the conference scene, organizing events, and the trials of managing your own deployments in AWS. Along the way they talk about the benefits and challenges of online, live, and hybrid conferences, why all developers should look to attend conferences, how small teams can grow into more complicated DevOps configurations, and how Flightcontrol aims to make that process less painful. Finally, they discuss living with ADHD and how learning about yourself and others can be so empowering.GuestKayla Sween - MagnoliaJS Organizer, Front End Developer

HostRob Ocel - Architect and Engineering Lead at This Dot Labs

Sponsored by This Dot Labs

In this special episode of the Modern Web podcast, Tracy Lee and Ben Lesh are joined by Netflix Engineering Managers Ryan Burgess and Jem Young. They tackle the transition from coding to management roles, debunking myths and shedding light on real challenges. Emphasizing that management isn't a simple promotion, but a unique career track requiring distinct skills. Their candid conversation exposes the value of experienced architects guiding junior team members, fostering well-rounded teams.

The group engages in lively banter, debunking the idea that management is the sole path to career growth, exploring industry trends, including streamlining management hierarchies for efficiency. This episode resonates with diverse tech career trajectories, inspiring you with insights into leadership, team dynamics, and the evolving landscape.

HostsTracy Lee, CEO of This Dot LabsBen Lesh, Author of RxJS

GuestJem Young, Engineering Manager at NetflixRyan Burgess, Engineering Manager at Netflix

Sponsored by This Dot Labs

In this episode, Tracy Lee is joined by co-host Jessica Wilkins and guest Chris Coyier, co-founder of CodePen, a company that provides an online code editor. They discuss various topics related to web development and technology.

Chris talks about his background and his work at CodePen. They are currently working on CodePen 2.0, a major update to the platform. Chris mentions that although the interface of CodePen may not have changed much over time, there's value in maintaining reliability and consistency for users.

They touch upon the challenges of keeping up with the ever-evolving landscape of web technologies. Chris expresses the importance of providing an online code editor that supports various technologies and languages, allowing users to experiment without setting up complex development environments. He also acknowledges the growing trend of AI integration in coding tools.

The conversation then shifts to the debate surrounding different tools, frameworks, and technologies in the web development space. Chris emphasizes the need for cohesiveness among these technologies and their documentation, allowing developers to easily combine tools without friction. He mentions other online code editors like StackBlitz and CodeSandbox and their innovations.

The interview highlights the importance of community and the role it plays in the success of projects like CodePen. Chris shares his dedication to maintaining the platform and ensuring its growth and relevance while also addressing potential business challenges, such as balancing free users and paid subscribers. The discussion reflects the dynamic nature of web development and the various factors that drive innovation and growth within the industry.

HostsTracy Lee, CEO of This Dot LabsJessica Wilkins, Software Engineer at This Dot Labs

GuestChris Coyier, Co-Founder of CodePen

Sponsored by This Dot Labs