Archives

AI makes it almost too simple to release stuff, which can, as in my case, lead to not enough preparation.

Announcing a new, free and open source site for hosting in-real-life gatherings for niche tech communities.

All things must come to an end, I suppose, and so it is with CFE.dev which will conclude after the current schedule of events.

Yeah, I'm pushing a decade of running CFE, which is crazy. Here's the history of the site that you never wanted.

I'm switching browsers due to The Browser Company's recently announced change in direction. Here's some migration tips I encountered switching from Arc to Zen.

There are a ton of difficult questions to answer around generative AI. Is it useful and how useful is it? And is it moral both in the way it is built and the way it is used? Let's dig in.

Welcome to my hot takes on DevRel where I share all my spicy opinions that are likely to get me lambasted on a certain social media site I don't use anymore.

Focus on the people you'll work with and for over specific salary goals, title or working on/with a cool product.

Reflecting on trying to go through the normal day to day while the world burns around you.

If you are looking to have your spirit lifted, you came to the wrong place because, as I see it, the trend lines almost all point in one depressing direction.

I wasn't bold and nonetheless I didn't do great. Sheesh.

2024 was filled with challenges, but also some exciting moments.

Many companies handle community wrong because they focus on outcomes over inputs. Here's some tips on how to think about community.

A guide to commonly used jargon in the frontend and full-stack development world.

Thanks to Cooper Press for hosting it these recent years. Look for future newsletters through CFE

We're less than a week away from the best event of the year. Ok, I'm biased, but take a look.

All good things must come to an end and so, most likely, must my annual Jamstack update. But what have we lost in the process?

I make my (not so bold) predictions for 2024 around web development, AI, developer events and DevRel.

Netlify Functions 2.0 offer some important improvements, but, to take advantage of them, you'll need to make some simple updates.

What does it take to build and run a site that hosts virtual events? Let's dig into how mine is set up.

Six years ago this week, I almost accidentally started a community around virtual events for developers.

Mailing lists are expensive! Let's get set up on a cheaper option using Mailjet and a serverless function.

Let's take a look at how Astro can help you build apps with less JavaScript and better performance.

Do recent changes mean the end of the term Jamstack? Unfortunately, it looks like a yes.

The Call for Papers (CFP) process can be a difficult rite of passage for many developers looking to speak at conferences. These tips should help you succeed.

There are a ton of options for full stack web frameworks that don't use React. Let's explore some of them and why they are each unique.

Developers are passionate about their tools - sometimes to a fault. There is value in being open to change and new directions.

Twitter has been around pretty much since the beginning of developer relations. Are the two permanently linked?

GraphQL Mesh is a concept that consolidates the many sources of data an application consumes. Do recent acqisitions mean it's about to take off?

It's not about the framework. It's about crossing the streams (of data)

Developer conferences still don't appear to be back at full strength, and that may just be a new reality.

There are a lot of options when it comes to edge functions, let's explore what they are and how they are different.

I am no expert, but here are some things I learned from having my identity stolen this week.

Yes, it's become extremely vague but the term still retains some value for developers.

A lot of promises have been made about the serverless edge. Does it meet them?

After many years it's time to move to a new site generator.

Many tools we still call SSGs don't produce static-only content.

Are we at risk of losing sight of what made Jamstack great?

It's been a fun run over the past 8 years.

Learn and share with other developers in these communities!

Some tips and things to think about when choosing to run a virtual developer conference based upon my recent experiences.

One of the more difficult things a new Jamstack developer can face is a change in mind set about when to render content.

What Jamstack means is evolving. While labels don't help you get your work done, they are also important.

CFE.dev has hundreds of hours of free sessions for developers.

Submit a Netlify form asynchronously using JavaScript without jQuery.

I share tips and advice from my experiences running online meetups, workshops and events.

Correcting what seems to be a common misconceptions about what makes an app JAMstack

Is the JAMstack just fancy buzzword marketing or is there actual substance behind the term? I share my thoughts.

A look at the latest edition of the largest JavaScript developer survey.

Excited to share my new role as a Developer Advocate at Stackbit!

In some personal news, I am moving on to a new role.

A look at the evolution of web content management from the early days of the web to the headless, cloud-based CMS systems of today.

There is widespread belief that the tech interview process is broken but little in the way of movement to change it.

What makes a site JAMStack? A lot of it is in the M for markup.

What happens when you authenticate in an application using OAuth 2.0 implicit and PKCE flows.

Developers are defining themselves into ever smaller niches and that concerns me.

A guide to getting started with IndexedDB for storing large amounts of complex data offline.

Some tips and advice based on my experiences running conferences for more than a decade.

Understanding the history of the web will help guide you to its future.

Advice and resources from conference organizers on how to create a compelling talk proposal

Many factors can influence technical debt and many of them have nothing to do with code.

Exploring what localStorage is, how it works and how it can be used to store and access data offline.

Different options for determining the user's online/offline status and connection speed.

Constants in JavaScript don't necessarily behave the way you think they would.

Finally taking advantage of some of the platform's more advanced features.

A look at the ethical dilemmas facing today's developers.

Tips for finding your unique path in your career development as a developer.

Some broad guidelines for writing technical or code-focused blog posts and articles

A look at some simple but overlooked as well as some advanced techniques for the Hugo static site generator.

A quick introduction to using the Stackbit service for creating a content-managed JAMStack site

Configuring an existing site to use Netlify CMS

A look at two libraries designed to help improve the perceived performance of web apps

An overview of the pros and cons of the different education options to become a developer

Setting up a new site using Netlify CMS

A quick look at some highlights from the latest edition of StackOverflow's survey

Need some help with your session abstract for a conference call for papers? I'm here to assist.

In 2018, we focused on performance, mobile and how tough it can be to be (or become) a dev.

While working as a developer certainly has its rewards, there are some major issues we need to address.

Running developer events can be tough but rewarding, exhausting but thrilling.

We're clearly entering a new era for Microsoft and for developers

GitHub has finally announced HTTPS support.

A guide to developing serverless functions within Kinvey.

Some strategies for local testing with SSL

Let's dig into the data a little bit.

A rant about defining titles with unachievable standards.

A quick tip on integrating Prettier with ESlint in VS Code.

More evidence that developers aren't noticing the licenses in the software they use.

The sites and newsletters for developers that I follow.

Tammy Everts talks about what performance metrics matter most to developers.

Aimee Knight shares some of what she's learned on her journey from ice skater to full stack developer

Some great session recordings from last year's events.

A yearly tradition featuring my favorite songs of the year.

Converting the previous example to work in a Vue app

The very first step to getting started with the Kinvey mBaaS

Brian Leroux previews his upcoming presentation by discussing why he created arc.codes and why serverless matters.

Don't let this intimidate you into not sharing!

There's so much to learn - where do I even start?

Ignoring licenses can be dangerous. Let's try to understand them.

Watch Ray and TJ talk ES6/7 and TypeScript

Great options for high quality images.

I'm running a ton of events this Fall.

Flash helped make the web what it is today.

Saving you the headaches I had.

My favorite music from the first quarter of the year.

What you don't know that you don't know can hold you back.

You hate it but you can't get rid of it yet.

Lots of interesting details to unpack

If you like the feel of print, you got it.

It's more than just Washington.

Mapping the hype cycle of development technologies

A Google company has been working on an anti-trolling API.

And sometimes that's a terrible thing.

PPK responds to his critics.

Just because we don't solve a problem the same way, doesn't make me wrong.

Let's hope this works.

In other news...perhaps the ad-block apocalypse is still on

Sure, they seem simple, but are they really?

Twitter's slow failure is yet another example.

Will conversational input become the norm?

This is about more than just kids.

This industry can be brutal.

Learning about yourself through the experience of others.

Probably not who you're expecting.

The once Information Superhighway has become jammed with ads and lies.

Living the dream.

The PC market just keeps on declining

Value the content you create by owning the content you create.

Sites worth following for web developers.

A full book from O'Reilly devoted to building static sites.

Unfortunately, getting the courage to submit is probably the easiest step.

We may have averted disaster for content publishers, but the experience isn't improving.

Tips for prospective Fluent Conference speakers.

Ten great songs released this year.

Things are not getting any better.

Why we tend to focus on the bad stuff first.

Shout-outs to some great content over the past year!

Ignore it and you lose it!

Sometimes Jekyll stuff isn't obvious.

Addressing the controversy over the links in Mobile Web Weekly.

A term that has become overloaded.

Which static site generator do I recommend? The simple answer is easy.

Developers don't like writing documentation.

Common mistakes most developers tend to make in their writing.

Lots of great music released during the year.

Tl;dr - the data is of limited value.

The app store ecosystem is slowly failing. Is that ok?

This stuff was hard - for me at least!

A free report on static site development from O'Reilly.

What's the current state of free code editors?

My take on the right process for choosing speakers.

An overview of the debate over web versus native.

I think the web has lost its luster lately due to a lack of innovation.

What makes a good article for a developer audience?

Web developers refuse to integrate audio in their applications. Why?

How does Jekyll stack up to other generators? I share my thoughts.

Some useful tools for when you need to convert other formats to Markdown.

How to build your first static site with the Wintersmith generator.

A walkthrough on building our first static site with Jekyll.

Tl;dr - yes, it can, if used thoughtfully.

A presentation and project for comparing static site generators.

Yes, I am old. That gives me some perspective.

You can't make money off content anymore.

Some great music was released over the past year.

What happens when your community pushes back?

My favorite demos from this years Boston Festival of Indie Games.

What makes a great technical conference? I share my thoughts.

I interview Axel Rauschmayer at QCon NY.

My blog - starting over from scratch.