RE: The Plight of NPM, etc. I won’t pretend to be an expert on NPM, package managers or open source. But last week, something really interesting happened. And it brought into view two issues that have been swirling around in the ether: the dependency tangle that is the Node / Javascript community and the problems… Continue reading That Time the Internet Broke
Category: JavaScript
Chose Your Metric
I went to Wordcamp Lancaster this year. It was a great time. I gave a talk on Javascript and after the conference, I was perseverating about one of my favorite things: what the f%c Javascript framework should I use. Rami Abraham (who organized the crap of out of WC Lancaster by the way) was quick to… Continue reading Chose Your Metric
First Steps with Javascript and WordPress
It starts with a simple maxim. Learn Javascript Deeply. That’s what Matt said. And it’s good advice. Javascript underpins everything we do, and it’s becoming more and more advanced every day. It’s not just the future of WordPress, it’s the future (and present) of the web. Of course, Matt mentioned this right around the time… Continue reading First Steps with Javascript and WordPress
Gulp, LiveReload, SASS and WordPress
For a little while now, I’ve been using Gulp in my WordPress themes to automate my front-end workflow and add some handy helpers along the way. For those unaware, Gulp is a slick JavaScript task runner, which can be used to concatenate JS and CSS files, lint files, and generally automate your front-end workflow. My… Continue reading Gulp, LiveReload, SASS and WordPress
The Magpie Developer
Jeff Atwood wrote this article seven years ago but it holds true:
These so-called thought leaders have left a virtual ghost town before anyone else had a chance to arrive.
I became a programmer because I love computers, and to love computers, you must love change. And I do. But I think the magpie developer sometimes loves change to the detriment of his own craft.
This seems as relevant as ever. As a developer in the Javascript world, it’s hard to keep up. Sometimes, I feel like I’ve done more “Hello World’s” then real projects. Small side projects help, but I’ve found the trick is to learn the basics of something, then log it in the back of your head (or write it down somewhere) for future use.
Side note, it’s disturbing how many links in this article are 404’ed these days. We need to all do something about that.
Leveling Up in JavaScript for WordPress Developers
Or How I Learned JavaScript. When I started building websites, I used Notepad, and wrote pages in plain HTML and a little CSS. After a couple of years giving that a go, I moved to WordPress, and found out all about web standards. I’ve certainly written my fair share of PHP, but my primary skill set… Continue reading Leveling Up in JavaScript for WordPress Developers
How to Make Text That Writes Itself in Javascript
I’ve launched a new version of this site, but one piece of functionality I carried over from the old one is a typewriter type effect using JavaScript. It’s actually pretty simple, and with about 60 lines of code and no dependencies, you can get it up and running.