DEV Community: FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ

Git Gud!

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 14:40:58 +0000

You heard me.

Alright, that was mean lol. Though based on the title, you probably already knew the idea of this article.

Git was something we have all heard. Don't get confused with GitHub though. They are both different.

I have used Git, but not in a way most people have used it, which is via GitHub Desktop. I have used GitHub Desktop since the beginning because of its friendly UI and how it is easy to use.

So what's the issue? The issue is that I am using GitHub Desktop. I have "Git" on my resume and it just feels wrong since I have been using a UI.

I thought it would be a great idea of learning Git via CLI. That way, I can understand from both worlds of UI and in the command line! I know it's difficult sometimes to learn something new, so I thought it would be best to get community feedback on other commands I should learn and in hope this article will help other new and existing developers to fresh up some Git.

With that said, if you are a type of person who relies on UI for Git and want to learn some Git commands to get conformable with, this is the place to git gud! Here are some Git commands to get started that reflects to GitHub Desktop and will help you get started getting into the habit of using in the terminal! This list will go in order based on starting to somewhat finishing the task/project. I will also reference Hollow Knight: Silksong if you are a visual learner as well.

Note: This is based on my experience when learning Git Commands after moving away from the GitHub Desktop. If there is something I forgot to mention or any information that needs to be updated, let me know!

1. git init

If you are starting a new project, this is the first command you should do! Even if you have an existing project, but git isn't initialize, then it would be best to run this command!

Think of this as starting up a new game in Hollow Knight: Silksong. Starting up the game gives you more features to work with, which we will get into a bit.

Note: If you are cloning an existing project from GitHub that is already have git initialized, no need to do this command. You can if you want, but it would make no sense.

2. git clone url

Speaking of existing projects, if you want to grab an existing project and have it on your computer, this is the command!

For example, if you want to clone the Forem (dev.to) repository, you would clone via website url here:

More Specifically, copy the HTTPS link:

Then, in your VScode terminal, you would do:

git clone https://github.com/forem/forem.git

Think of this as you are opening up an existing file in the game. Simple as that.

If you are grabbing someone else's file and importing to your own machine, I would think of it as assuming they have everything installed. If the file is outdated, you will have to update it. For programming terms, if they don't have git, do git init.

Note: Make sure you are in an empty folder when cloning the repository.

3. git add filepath

Now you have a project and you make some changes in the project, like any other developer.

Before sending your changes to the branch on GitHub, you want to add the files you changed before doing the commit.

If you have change a lot of files and you want to include all of them in a commit, you would do:

git add .

However, if you want to include a specific file in a commit, you will have to find the file path. For example, if I change a file named tests.js and it lives in the app folder, it would be:

git add /app/tests.js

Extra Command to Know!

If you accidentally add all files to be tracked, you can revert by following the command to revert all files.

git restore .

For specific files, you would need the file path as usual.

git restore /app/tests.js

I would think of this as you play the game. Sometimes you equip charms, which I treat it as "Tracked files" where you have an inventory of items (untracked files). The equip items is what you want to use, while the inventory is the list of things you have collected/modified so far.

4. git commit -m "Hollow Purple"

Once you added the files based on the previous command, you are ready to commit! I treat this as a "checkpoint". It's like saving a game before you continue.

In the event where something went completely wrong, you can go back to the previous commit. For example, you have 3 commits:

A --> B --> C (You are here)

If you want to go back to "B", you will need to find the hash for Commit "B" and revert the commit by doing the following:

# Find the commit hash
git log

# Revert a specific commit
git revert <commit-hash>

Just like in the game, you can go back to your previous save point.

Pro Tip: Always make sure to fill out the commit message of what you did. It's best practice to say something like git commit -m "Fix a rerouting bug" than saying git commit -m "Update file".

5. git push origin main

At this point, you have a lot of commits and changes. It's time to push it to the GitHub repository! This would be the command to do so!

However, it is best practice to fetch the changes that are on GitHub by doing the following:

git fetch origin main

Sometimes, if there were changes in the repository, but is not up-to-date in your local dev environment, then you would do the following after fetching:

git pull origin main

I would treat this as the version of the game. If the game is outdated, you would "fetch" the latest version and update the version from there. That way, the game will save properly. If you have a save data that is not align with the current version of the game, it will may likely lead to conflicts, which we would not cover since we are covering the basics.

6. Creating/Switching Branches

If you want to create a branch:

git branch nameBranch

To switch to that branch and work on the developments there:

git checkout existingBranch

Pro Tip: If you want a single command where it creates the branch and switching it at the same time, use the following command below. Discovery based on @inayi comment!
git checkout -b branchName

7. git status

The main thing it will show you are the files that are tracked and not tracked. The ones that are tracked is the ones is going to be commit. The untracked files are the ones that are changed, but is not part of the upcoming commit. This command provides information to help you keep track on which files are changed and which files are going to be part of the commit.

That is it. It's not perfect and there is a GOOD chance I am missing something, but it is at least a good start on moving away from using GitHub Desktop and getting into the habit of learning these commands. Of course, there is many more I did not cover such as the git merge and all, but I want to keep it simple. Besides, this is based on my experience and the commands I use frequently that is mentioned in this article.

If you would like to learn more about git, check out the official documentation here: https://git-scm.com/docs

If you want a fun version to learn git (Discovery based on @thegm26 comment), check out the game here: https://ohmygit.org

That is only if you want to...

or be doomed.

Speaking of Doom, new trailer for Doomsday is here and it's just Doom Aura Farming lol.

Special Request to the Reader before Commenting!

If there are other commands that are good to know, feel free to leave a comment while having this image as part of your comment! (see below). If you are stopping by, I would love to see just the image of Hornet saying "Git Gud!". Though I would recommend adding something WITH the image because it has been reported where comments get deleted if you were to just send an image and nothing else...or you can find the image of Hornet saying "Git Gud" on the internet and use that instead.

Add this as part of your comment!

Questions or Comments? Love to hear from you!

I Joined dev.to because...

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:24:24 +0000

Why not?

Just kidding, there is more to it. Just thought it flows well with the title and having the answer straight up. Anyway, here's my reason.

Actually to be fair, I don't have a great reason. I mainly saw dev.to back in around early 2020, but I didn't get into it. I saw dev.to as part of my resource whenever I look up how to fix a bug or a feature I want to implement alongside with StackOverFlow. dev.to sometimes comes and go in my development and I ultimately decide to join dev.to in the middle of January.

I heard networking plays a crucial role in this career field and I believe blogging is the easiest thing for me at that time. I haven't really properly network with other people during my career other than following people on LinkedIn to begin with and just building projects no one knew about. I wasn't the type of person who would put myself out there and ask for a job because it felt like it was wrong. I am also an introvert since I wasn't really conformable meeting new people and conscious about what other people think of me.

On top of that, my OCD prevented me from doing anything technology related, so it was difficult for me to code or use my computer at all. The only thing I had at that time was a Nintendo Switch. Nothing more, nothing less. You may now be wondering: "How are you communicating right now?".

I have been doing ERP (Exposure Responsive Prevention), which has helped me a lot and I was able to use a Computer more comfortably than before. Although not perfect, I am hopeful for the future and I know it will take more time. Though, I am grateful to what my OCD gave me that I never knew, which is a deep self reflection.

OCD gave me a clear pathway on what I need to do in my career. I notice that I haven't doing much on my portfolio and projects I have was disappointing to say the least. Most projects I have done is in Vanilla HTML, CSS, and JS! Never did anything advance or rarely did any.

I want to join a community, so that I can learn from others around the world. I knew that the resource I have currently is not enough and I knew I have to take a risk and put myself out there. We all know where I am at right now and I don't regret it haha.

Another thing is that I promised myself for 2026 to lock in and start putting myself out there and to share my knowledge as a developer. Additionally, I want to continue to think positively and acknowledge small wins, which helped my mental health by a mile since I have been thinking about the small wins for each day.

dev.to also helps me with my typing habit. Sometimes when I type, I tend to have a habit of erasing a whole sentence to a paragraph for reasons I don't feel conformable disclosing due to OCD.

TL;DR I felt like I was typing something wrong, which causes me to delete a good portion of what I wrote and rewrote it again.

Although it has gotten better, I still have the habit time to time. Though since I am on dev.to almost everyday, the repetitiveness basically reduced that habit since I am posting weekly and I have to type my blog out by hand. I don't use AI in writing and I avoid it completely, so that I can improve myself on writing, English, and reducing my OCD.

Now why dev.to specifically compare to other platforms? I want to find a community where it is not really big, but also not really small where no one has heard of it. I decide to look into dev.to because I have heard great things about it such as setting up your portfolio, community, and how it is recognizable from just a google search!

With that said, I want to see what dev.to was about and see the community for myself. It is not small, but big enough community where I am heard which is something I don't get used to. My experience is that I would say something (like an idea or opinion), but people don't really listen to my thoughts before speaking. They tend to be really defensive or just straight up mean without having a proper argument structure that I respect. dev.to is a good place because everyone's voice is heard and professional to the point where I can put my voice out there and respect people who agree or disagree with my opinion.

Conclusion

When someone asked me "Why did you join dev.to" back in January, I would probably say "why not" to begin with. However, if you asked me now, I would say that:

"I join dev.to because I want to be part of a community where I am supportive, and included. I realized the importance of being part of a community where I get to meet like-minded people I never knew like @codingwithjiro, @konark_13, @sylwia-lask, @itsugo and many others. I never knew that people will not only change my life as a developer, but also in general as well. It has made me a happier person and I was able to share my thoughts and opinions. Additionally, I learn a lot from other people who are more experience in this career and I was able to speed up my learning by a ton.

Honestly, if I haven't join dev.to, I would probably be behind in tech. Learning would be very difficult I would imagine.

I am glad to join dev.to and it's one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Networking is not just about meeting people just to get a job, it's about people who will support you in your career and reach to your goals beyond your comprehension."

Now it's your turn!

Now I want to hear from you. I believe this thread will allow new and current members to hear from others about their story of how they got here in the first place. I also want this to be a place to connect with other developers and make memories wherever you are.

So now tell me this: "Why did you join dev.to?" Unless you are @ben and @jess, "Why did you create dev.to?"

How would you decide, whether the content is good or bad?

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:47:20 +0000

I want to talk about what I have notice on the platform and want to address what we all have been thinking about, but not really talked as much on dev.to, which is the use of AI.

Before you jump at me, yes, I have talked about this in the past on how people on dev.to use AI in their articles. It was great seeing everyone's opinions on this topic and I still believe it is important to talk about this now. Maybe more than ever...since we are getting closer to the moderation updates from @ben and @jess soon.

With that said, when I first made a post about my activity to be more involved in Moderation on dev.to, I heard a lot of people discussing how they use AI such as:

Using AI to fix grammar and translation.
Generating Ideas.
Full blown using AI 100% (for some reason).

However, the one thing that stood out to me (which is by far the most common comment I have seen) is along the lines of:

As long as the content is good, it doesn't matter if the author used AI or not.

It got me thinking: How do you decide, when a content is good or not regardless of the use of AI? Something I took from Bruce Banner when he told Peter in Spider-Man: Brand New Day: "How would you decide, what parts of nature are good or bad?". (Good Movie btw)

Of course, this is an easy question if you remove the "AI" part of the question. Everyone has different preferences on whether a content is good to them such as if it was useful, insightful, easy to read, etc.

With AI being involved, it gets trickier because it can do ALL of those things. As a matter of fact, it's so easy that everyone is doing it. Everyone has the capacity to publishing their articles and they use AI in some way. Some more reasonable than others. Not only that, sometimes people use AI to write comments (Again, some more reasonable than others).

Something I learned as a Developer

When looking at people's profiles on GitHub, I have seen a lot of projects that are AI-Assisted or fully Vibe Coded in a way where the goal is to impress the Recruiters and Developers. Although on paper it works, there is a flaw to this...which is can you explain what you did?

Of course, you could explain in text and all, but the point where people fail the most is if you try to explain the project you did in real time (AKA on call).

I have seen 99% of the time where I tell them to explain the project they did and the process of doing it and they seem to be stun locked. This really shouldn't be the case because...you built it.

Even if it was a complex project, you should be able to explain the main idea and the core features. However, that is not the case.

I was surprised because all of the experience people have done and the projects have built, they should AT LEAST answer basic questions about the project and their experience.

Sure, people get nervous ESPECIALLY in the interview process. I get nervous. However, the thing is that I learn overtime. It's just being human. Of course, people have different learning speeds, but as long as you make progress, it shows that you are willing to learn and that you are trying your best.

With that said, if you have 10+ years of experience, my expectations would be that the person should be able to explain the projects they did on a basic level, AI or not. If you are a person who relies on AI to the point you are Vibe Coding projects just to stand out to the market, it doesn't matter if the project is high quality or not...good luck explaining the project in detail in real time. You may get interviews, but can you pass them?

What's my Point?

AI has been something I am against in writing specifically because I am afraid of relying on using AI. It already took a toll on me as a developer and it's hard to resist of not using too much AI and I regret this. I want to be the person who still learns while also using the tool in some way. In other words, do a good mix of AI and doing it yourself.

Additionally, I want to be the person who can answer questions based on what I wrote. If I were to write a complex topic that is fully AI-generated and someone asked me questions that I do not know. That would get me in trouble.

Sure, I could copy/paste their question to the AI and it outputs me the response for me to copy/paste to that person, but at the end of the day, I am not learning anything. I would be considered an ACTUAL Fraud because anyone can AI generate text fully. It defeats the whole purpose of having a specific community in the first place because we jump in and we see that everyone is an expert at something, instead of seeing someone actually learning something and sharing that to the platform.

Scenario to think about

Imagine this. Let's say you are a very popular writer and that everyone knows you in real life and online. You article is fully AI-Generated and no one knows about it. Your Doomsday will be someone asking you a question in real life and you have to provide an answer in real time.

I believe this platform has a lot of potential and influence to make a change. This community is small and big enough where our voices are heard. I believe AI is not going away anytime soon, but I feel like we should change on how we use AI. Instead of relying on AI to write our articles, we should use it the right way where we are able to learn something new while also utilizing the tools where it doesn't disturb our learning.

Here are some things I would do moving forward on dev.to and I would suggest everyone to do the same.

1. Ask Questions that Expand, not Recite in any Form.

I have seen a lot of comments where they agree this or that because it allows this. Although it is a great starting point, it doesn't really expand much on the topic at hand. Instead, challenge the author in some way where you are asking the author a question that you cannot find in their article AND that you want to know as well. Unique questions allows you AND the author to learn. That way, you learn something new and it allows the author to get a chance of explaining the topic further that they may or may not know about.

Of course, people will judge you in some way. Instead of being defensive, think about if any aspect of their comment can help you grow. If not, then that's okay. People have different opinions on things and it tells them more about their stance, which is good! I would love to hear other people's opinions because it helps us understand more on the topic at hand instead of simply reciting what the author said (If anything, JUST reciting and nothing else doesn't really give value and it is really repetitive based on my experience).

For example, let's say that I talk about Python where one of my points is: "Python is a good language because it is an beginner friendly language for new developers".

Imagine this comment from someone: "I agree that you mention that Python is an easy language to learn. This allows new developers to get into programming and has a less of a learning curve. It brings new developers into the spotlight, especially in the age of AI. Thanks man!".

To be fair, the best thing you will learn is that Python is great in the age of AI. That's it. Even that, most people will most likely know that.

Instead, comment should be like: "I do agree that Python is an easy language to learn for beginner friendly developers. Though I am wondering if there are other alternatives to Python that is also beginner friendly? How do you determine if a programming language is good for beginners other than syntax?".

This is a good comment because the commenter knows that Python is a good language to learn as a beginner, but also wants to know other alternatives and if there are differences in other languages other than syntax that the author does not state. Additionally, it challenges the author to think and provide a thoughtful response (maybe the author will learn something new or forgot to point something out). Overall, add more thought to the comment than doing what everyone else is doing. Yes, it is good to have a comment that praises, but I would suggest adding more comment if the article is going into detail about a specific topic.

Obviously, if they start spamming or being mean that provides no value, then that is a different story (I would assume we are all reasonable adults here and we can think critically before we speak).

2. Use AI in a way that you are still Learning.

On dev.to, the goal is to share knowledge/work to others people on the platform. This platform is built for developers to connect with other developers around the world. Now, stay with me, let's break this down.

If you are working on a project, ensure that you are coding by yourself without any AI. If you reach to the point where you can't figure out the solution for a good length of time, use AI. HOWEVER, clarify the AI to not give you the full answer. Only give you the answer that will allow you to think of a solution.

This will allows you to build projects that are your own, still learning coding in some way, and using AI to speed up development the right way. Additionally, with that ownership, you will still be able to explain what you built while also explaining how you use AI in the process that sounds better than what most people use AI for.

If you are writing articles on dev.to, practice reading out loud first. You will be surprised by the amount of grammatical errors you will catch by simply reading it out loud. If English is not your first language BUT you are able to write in English, try your best to write it out completely as if you are publishing this officially. Then use AI to fix grammatical errors, THOUGH keep it simple as possible. This goes the same for comments.

By writing out as much as possible via typing yourself, it allows you to solidify your understanding and become more confident in your knowledge as a developer regardless of the topic at hand.

The way @codingwithjiro uses AI is probably the best I have seen (and I should follow) based on @konark_13 articles on Vibe Coding:

Comment on Vibe Coding: Endgame

Elmar Chavez Jul 29

Personally, I don't want to use AI-generated code entirely especially if I don't understand what the code is all about. I don't like adding a line of code that I can't explain myself (I feel like I'm just lying to myself and I hate liers). But I always take advantage of the super advanced search feature of AI whenever I have questions and I kinda liked that. But I still have to double check it myself for best practices and officials docs just to be sure. My process is slow but I 100% assure you, it is genuine learning.

For my workflow, I always have a "discussion" first with the AI so that context building is not forced such as creating TASKS.md or SPEC.md. The point is to be conversational and that naturally builds up what I want to do with my project. Sometimes the AI gives good points, some bad ones, it's like taking tradeoffs one after another in a meeting.

Once I have the features listed, I move forward to building them one by one, and the pattern revolves again. I get to learn and upskill slowly but consistently. It worked for me and at the same time it boosted my communication skills, so two birds with one stone.

The theme you may notice so far is that you learn by doing, instead of relying. By doing so, this will allow you to learn and make progress of your Developer Skills, English Skills, and STILL be using the latest AI stuff in some capacity in a healthy way.

Additionally, this will allow learning to happen on dev.to where not only the user's will learn something new by asking questions to expand on the topic instead of reciting what the author wrote, but also challenges the author's knowledge, professionally and the right way.

What makes the content good is not a matter of if their article is written well or that it has a lot of engagements, it's a matter of if both sides are learning regardless of the topic at hand and where it challenges the author and the reader in some way where it helps both sides grow to the furthest extent they never knew.

Is this hard to do? Yes. It's meant to be hard. Though, it shows you that you are learning. If you struggle on a certain topic, it's a very good sign that you are about to learn something. It is a matter of if you have the will to do so and allow yourself to be vulnerable to make mistakes in the process.

Remember, we are not Professional Writers. We are Developers. Of course, you can be both. However, it's only a matter of if you are learning something new from an author and a commenter perspective.

The question isn't "Is this AI-generated?". The question is: "Can they explain, in detail and in real time, what they did and why they did in a unique way that stands out in a world where AI has dominated?"

Questions or Comments? Love to hear your thoughts about this topic!

🗓️ Monthly Dev Report: July 2026

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:39:28 +0000

Hey everyone! I bring you my development journey on what I have discovered, accomplishments for this month, and the goals for next month!

Additionally, I will share some posts highlights on what post I am proud of sharing to Dev.to and my top 3 posts that stood out to me this month!

✨ Dev.to Posts Highlights! ✨

Here is one of the posts I am proud of for this month!

Navigating the comparison trap

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ

Jul 13

I am that I am.

#discuss #community #mentalhealth #learning

175

7 min read

Talked about comparison and things to look for when we naturally compare ourselves and know how success came to be. This post made to the TOP 7 of one of the weeks of July!

Here is the top 3 posts that I have discovered that stood out to me!

Writing therapy and a new book trilogy

Cesar Aguirre

Jul 20

I've Spent 10+ Years in Software Engineering. After Sickness, Burnout, and a Layoff, I'm Rebuilding My Career. Ask Me Anything

#discuss #watercooler #ama #coding

103

105

1 min read

@canro91 Celebrating his 7th year on DEV and taking in questions about anything or just stopping by to say HI! (Do note that the comment section is now closed. See here for updates from him: https://dev.to/canro91/i-ran-an-ama-on-devto-here-are-my-favorite-questions-56o8

From 7 reactions to 20k followers

Julien Avezou

Jul 1

My First Year at DEV Recap

#community #learning #productivity #writing

4 min read

@javz Reached his first year one DEV and made a summary on what he has accomplished and learned.

Explores browser popup API abuse

GrahamTheDev

Jul 23

🐍 Snake - rendered with 576 browser windows [warning - this WILL hurt your eyes...and PC!]

#javascript #webdev #programming #css

3 min read

@grahamthedev Built a Snake Game that will potentially obliterate your PC faster than scalping Pokemon Cards at your local Walmart.

Monthly Discovery 🔍

🔍 I forgot to mention this a while back. @daniel_possiblekwabi_b57 made a video review of one of my post and I found this randomly on YouTube lol. Check it out if you can!

🔍 I was looking at Portfolio reviews for reference to improve my own and I saw this lol.

🔍 Unrelated Tech stuff. Avengers Doomsday! What do you think? Is it going to be good or bad or meh?

Accomplishments 🏆

✅ Achieved TOP 7 on the post mentioned earlier. Thanks @jess!
✅ Joined CALEC as a Full-Stack Developer in QA Test! (We are still looking for more volunteers. Please visit this post: https://dev.to/devengers/want-to-volunteer-with-me-as-a-full-stack-developer-join-me-at-calec-2hne)
✅ 1 Pull Requests has been merged onto Forem.
✅ Learning Ruby on Leetcode! Feel free to follow me on LeetCode: https://leetcode.com/u/FrancisTRdev/
✅ Continued interacting with the Dev.to community.

Still working on... 🔨

🔨 Clean up my portfolio and publishing it on Dev.to for Review. Holding it off for now.
🔨 Continued Virtual Coffee Contribution. Nothing other than engaging with the community.

Goals for Next Month 🎯

📝 Full send on studying and getting the Salesforce Certification.
📝 Publishing my Portfolio on Dev.to for Review.
📝 Continue interacting with the Dev.to community.

Feedback 💬

What else should I do for August?
Any questions/comments/advice or tips for the Monthly Report? Leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you!

Choose your Burden

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 15:59:30 +0000

Hey everyone. Just an update on the Salesforce Certification. I am planning on releasing articles about it after getting the certification, so that I don't have to worry about scheduling two post in one week. Hope this makes sense!

Over the weekend, I have this thought about what I have notice in the last 6 years of being a developer and the post I made weeks back:

Overcoming self-doubt and career regrets

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ

Jul 6

It's You.

#discuss #community #productivity #mentalhealth

157

6 min read

The main thing I notice is that a lot of people are saying:

It's hard to finish a project because of I am tired every time I work on it...

It's demotivating to keep working on this...

Something similar above in a sense, and talking about how it is hard to get into this market in tech.

To be fair, it IS hard. As a matter of fact, anything really in life is difficult in some spectrum. It's only a matter of if you are willing to do it.

Easy said than done right? (Even for me!)

Sometimes, we have a hard time being consistent because we don't see the reward right away or that we don't see the worth of doing something. For example, if we want to get good at LeetCode, it would make sense to so some problems consistently to get good at it.

However, the more you do it, the common thought you may have along the way is "What's the point? I am training for nothing at the moment".

I have this thought every time when I am practicing for interviews. Although back then I didn't have any interviews line up, I thought about being proactive and start practicing Interviews to improve my speech overtime. That way, when the time comes, I would be ready.

However, during the process, I have thoughts about not doing it because there is no reward to it since I don't get it immediately after practicing.

Speaking of, it reminds me of this specific scene from Tales of the Jedi:

The idea is that Anakin trains Ahsoka though Clone Troopers instead of what everyone else trains on, which is droids. The main purpose of the scene is to not only escalate the difficulty drastically, but to also prepare for the worse and expand on what we can do to improve and stand out from the crowd.

If you were studying CS or similar during your college years, you will hear this formula every time:

Undergrad: we study CS --> Junior year: we study LeetCode and Interviews and get an internship ---> Senior year: We get a Full time Offer.

Let me tell you something.

Why?

Not only everyone is following this though, but that creates competition and there is no diversity in that since recruiters have to deal with a candidate that has similar skills that they reviewed 100 times. Just because one person got into Google, does not mean you can too. Sure, there are people who can do that, but that's rare if you think about it and it's something I hope I can tell myself back then.

Going back to the scene. Ahsoka talks about how this is difficult because how Clones are better than the droids. Anakin taught her about being able to protect herself in a scenario no one saw it.

Guess what? She survived Order 66 because of this unique training.

What's the Point?

Think of it this way, we are following what everyone is doing. Maybe instead of following the formula verbatim, we make it unique to ourselves.

Will that be difficult? Of course it is.

I want you to listen to this scene in Loki about Burden Versus Glory:

The one that stood to me was "most purpose...is more burden than glory...you never want to be the guy to avoid it because you can't live with the burden".

What does this mean as a developer?

Sometimes the things that we want, we have to sacrifice a lot of things in life in order to achieve what we want. Maybe you are very social and go to parties a lot. Instead of that, maybe cut down a LOT of that time into investing in practicing programming skills and building your portfolio.

Sure, you may not see the result immediately, but you have to push yourself and have a good mindset to succeed.

What should I do?

Every week, @jess releases a thread on dev.to "What is your win this week" series. I encourage everyone to comment on the accomplishment that you made (EVEN IF IT IS VERY SMALL like going outside for example).

Interview prep and front-page writing streaks

Jess Lee for The DEV Team

Jul 17

What was your win this week!?

#discuss #weeklyretro

1 min read

Why?

The reason is it allows us to reinforce positive thinking instead of thinking negatively. Otherwise, we would not be going anywhere. Again, it will not be immediate, but overtime you will see the result in a gradual way. Thus, being able to be more motivated on the things you want to accomplish.

Like Mobius said: "You gotta keep the big picture in mind...the hard thing to do, was the thing that needs to be done."

Of course, in this scene it is extreme because the TVA prune timelines in order to enforce a singular timeline. Remember, we are not following the quote verbatim, we are getting ideas from it that will help us.

For this case, if we want to be good at LeetCode, we want to keep consistent on practicing. Meaning, sometimes you will have to sacrifice something in life in order to keep that consistency going.

You may be wondering: What if it leads to nothing after all?

Then look back, at LEAST you have shown through your profile that you are studying hard at Leetcode and that you know the fundamentals. It's better than asking yourself that question when you have NOTHING on Leetcode.

Progress is better than none. Nothing in tech is easy and there is no comfort when we try to achieve what we want. Maybe you want to be in Google or that you want to be a Professor. Remember, there is more Burden than Glory. It's only a matter of having to choose your Burden to reach your Glory.

Speaking of Marvel, the Avengers: Doomsday Trailer came out of this time of writing this post lol

Questions or Comments? Love to hear your thoughts about this topic!

[CLOSED] Want to Volunteer with me as a Full-Stack Developer? Join me at CALEC!

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 19:11:00 +0000

Posting is now closed. Tagging you here @hemapriya_kanagala to update the DEV opportunity Radar Series.

Hey everyone!

I don't want to steal @hemapriya_kanagala series. This is more of a DEV opportunity breaking news.

I am currently volunteering at CALEC as a Full-Stack Developer in QA Test and we are seeking more Full-Stack Developers to join us on this project. We are planning on releasing Phase 1 of the project before 2027!

If you are a type of person who is a Full-Stack Developer, takes initiative, organized and wanting to continue to gain more experience in this niche, we would love to have you on board!

Volunteer at CALEC as a Full-Stack Developer Today!

Apply Now!

See you in the Interview! :D

If you want a TLDR on what we are looking for, read below! (Based on my preference with that as well)

About CALEC

CALEC is a mission-driven organization dedicated to advancing language education, literacy, and culturally responsive learning through innovative digital tools and programs. We design and support educational platforms and games that promote bilingual learning, reading engagement, and equitable access to education for diverse learners.

You will be great in this role if you are...

Currently or obtain a BS in Computer Science or related field.
Have some professional experience in Full-Stack is preferred. Otherwise, we would love to see your projects.
You are a person who takes initiative with minimal supervision.
You are a person who demonstrates leadership.
Experience using GitHub and understanding the use of Git.
Willing to work in a fast-paced environment for the September release.
Willing to learn new things!
You are a person who values in providing accessible education to people around the world.

Other Important Information

Must Commit 10+ hours per week.
The position is remote.

Apply Now! Any questions about the role? I would love to hear from you!

I am that I am.

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 21:22:10 +0000

We all hear about "Not comparing yourself to others" and that "comparing yourself is the thief of joy". To be honest, I agree and it's strange that I am contradicting myself because I compare myself A LOT.

The more I looked into it, the more I realized that we have a natural tendency to compare ourselves. It's a human thing to do.

The issue is that we tend to be very excessive over comparing ourselves to others to the point where it takes a toll on us. For example, we are demotivated to see someone's success because we believe we can't reach the goal they are in.

We all have jealousy. Big or small. Even where I am at right now, I am still jealous that many people I know that got into big tech companies like Microsoft.

To get more context, I want to share a story with you.

Story Time

Back in the day, I remember it was the year of the ACT. For those who don't know: It's a Standardized test that is needed for the college admissions to determine if you are admitted to their program.

I remember I got a national average of 21 as my composite score and I was proud of the score I got since it's the national average during that time.

However, I remember the day where my friends talked about the ACT. The most common thing I heard was:

"Oh I got a 30"

"I got a 32"

"Man I got a 35, it was sooo easy"

Hearing that makes me feel not only bummed out, but felt left out. I was feeling that I wasn't smart enough to be in the group.

What's worse is that they got accepted into colleges and programs that are well known. Then they start boasting about their accomplishments. I felt like I am the odd-one-out because of my scores and their accomplishments I could not match.

Why am I Talking about this?

Looking back and knowing where they are at now, I am proud of who I become today. It's not that they have fallen downhill (they are still successful), but the route they have taken that I definitely could not follow.

For example, on GitHub, many people fill up their contribution graphs to the max. However, if you were to tell them on what they did specifically, 99% of the time it sounds disappointing. It could be either they are working everyday on their job (makes sense) or they use a bot to trick the recruiter to think that they are productive.

For me, I would rather learn the skills more than "presentation". If I build up the skills, presentation will show that automatically. It's a Win-Win in my book.

Knowing myself and what @codingwithjiro called me out on is that: I do things the hard way.

If I want to get something, I work hard on it. I learned overtime that I can achieve anything when you put your mind to it. And that I did. Not only that, I am proud of my progress. Not only that, I am proud of the results I have and am grateful for it.

Something worth mentioning, out of the blue btw, when I looked back at Season One of "The Flash".

If you go back in time, would you tell yourself to be better in some way?

We all have dreams of this and yes, I would have wish my progress and result would be better. That is what I used to think.

After seeing this scene, it reminds me to be proud of who I am today and knowing that others will also share that too. If I go back and change, I would be a completely different person that I am today and knowing I would never be satisfied. That is what comparing does to you if you continue to think excessively. It makes you think that you could have been a different person, but we fail to see if there are other aspects of us that change for the worse.

Sure, you go back in time where you tell yourself to get into Google and showing how. However, as a result, maybe the caveat is that it resulted you into becoming more egotistic or that you are a bad person.

If I were to go back in time to change the things I did, I would never be on dev.to. I would be living in a dystopian timeline that I am not prepare for (which is the case for Barry in that show when he actually went back in time and prevented the murder of his mom).

I would never meet people like @itsugo, @konark_13 and @codingwithjiro. I would never meet people like Richard and @dannwaneri who had lift me to become who I am today. I would never know that I changed people's lives on dev.to such as @hemapriya_kanagala where she mentioned that I welcomed her back on dev.to, which resulted in her continuing posting on dev.to! All this from a Google Meet Call btw. Finally, I would never have the chance to experience open source with @mikeydorje, @ben, and @jess on Forem!

What would dev.to be, without me and you in the equation? Would it have been the same today? Something that I had in mind while writing this post...

What is the Point?

Been rambling a bit so let's cut to the chase. If you were following along in the previous section above, you know that there is a mask to success. Yes, people show success, but once you figure out how they got there, it shows a different light. Showing that mask of success will get you far until someone questions you in various ways.

Here is a VERY good example of this where this guy made a skit about some guy claiming he got a job at Facebook, but nope:

Maybe comparing yourself to others isn't the problem, it's the problem where we stop questioning ourselves about how others get success in the first place.

Here is something to think about that helped me this year.

1. Comparing yourself is like a Recursion with no base case.

Just because you believe that this person is a God-Tier programmer, it does not mean that this person is the #1 in the world.

You could argue about that the number one programmer has no one to compare too. Keep in mind there are BILLIONS of people in this world and there may be a case where that programmer is comparing themselves to someone that has not be documented on the internet. We will never know.

Always assume there is a bigger fish to fry. There is no end to becoming better than the other.

2. Know more about how they got to their success in the first place.

Think of this. Imagine Person A and Person B got a score of 30 on the ACT. However, Person A got their score by hard work, mentorship, etc. Person B achieve that score by bribe and other illegal stuff (this actually happened btw).

Who would you chose? I would choose Person A if anything.

If I were to chose Person B, sure, I would get success, but once people start digging into it, it's over. Everything you built, everything you have done, is nothing but a memory...

3. Know you are good enough, and I am serious.

We all felt for this when we compare ourselves too much to the point where we doubt our skills.

Know that no matter where you are at right now, you are worth more than you know. Maybe you are not seeing it right away, but the more people you talk too, the more you will see how others value your skills. It takes a while, but eventually, you will find someone who values you.

For example, me and @codingwithjiro talked almost on a daily basis and I notice how we kept on complementing each other about our skills and knowledge in the developer space. Yes, maybe at first glance, we see big numbers and assume they are successful.

However, overtime, we understand each other that we always have something new to learn and grow. Elmar knows more front end stuff than me and I know more about the Software Development Cycle than him. The point is Never judge a book by its cover. There is always room to grow.

Comment on I am that I am.

Web Developer Hyper Jul 13

If you're growing compared to your past self, that's already a win! 🫡 You can't change others, but you can always change yourself. Good luck with your Salesforce exam!

The next time you compare yourself, don't think about the result. Think about the process. That way, you will never be disappointed.

I hope this has helped you. I have been studying the Salesforce Administrator certification for sometime and I am planning on releasing articles on dev.to about that, so expect more content revolving around that for a while. I will be creating a guide on studying for the exam that would be helpful for me and others who are getting into this certification. Just to let you guys know :)

Questions/comments? Would love to hear from you!

It's You.

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 21:38:25 +0000

To start off, I appreciate the community support I have received on the post about being behind.

Achievement that feels shallow on paper

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ

Jun 22

I am behind, and I can't prove it but does it matter?

#discuss #community #mentalhealth #career

164

100

4 min read

I couldn't respond to every single one because of the overwhelming comments I have received! Rest assure, I will respond to each and every one of you and I am grateful for every single comment you guys had left! I am glad to be part of this community! Continue to show that!

With that said, I want to return the favor to the community about something important.

I recently talked to @georgekobaidze and @codingwithjiro in the Virtual Coffee group about life in general. What I notice about our conversation is how we ended up talking about regrets and things we could have done earlier. For example, we talked about not networking or not doing beyond the coursework at our University/College because of how non-social we are.

Of course, we all have regrets like these and we improve overtime as a result. As we kept the conversation going, there is something that comes down to the root based on the conversations we have and conversations I had overall as a developer.

One side is that we have regrets about what we should have done. As a result, we improve. We make self-reflections on our wants and needs and we improvise from there. For example, for me, I never did networking because of the fear of what other people thinks. I slowly realized that 99% of the irrational thoughts never comes true. Even if it does, I know myself that I could handle the situation.

As a result, I took small steps and joined dev.to. We all know where I am at now XD

On the other hand, there are people who identifies these regrets they have, but does not act on it. Not immediately, just never. It has become VERY common amongst college students who says that the "Job Market is Cooked" and that "They are not good enough". To be fair, impostor syndrome is real and yes, the job market is cooked based on the rise of AI and the bar you have to meet to compete with other developers.

However, that does not mean you will just sit there and do nothing about it. I have seen countless people who makes those negative statements and they are not doing anything about it. They are just accepting defeat and doing the bare minimum.

Of course, there are people who are trying their best by building projects, networking, etc. However, it is also common that they will lead to the same result when it comes to job offers, which is getting none. This leads to people thinking it is ENTIRELY on luck. Sure, luck is a factor but identifying the things you need to do properly and being with a supportive community the right way can negate those odds.

@georgekobaidze pointed out in his post where he mentions that to achieve what he has done, he had to continue "pushing...to the limit, [even] at times...through severe physical pain (no exaggeration), and sacrificing a lot of my personal life along the way. My evenings, nights, and weekends were dedicated to all of this...It's not a lot of time in the grand scheme of things, but I'd rather use that limited time than not do it at all."

Two hackathon wins and a management promotion

Giorgi Kobaidze

Jul 4

A New Personal Best: What Six Months of Locking In Can Do

#showdev #productivity #career #community

108

7 min read

What's my Point

I want you to think of this quote from the movie Ip Man that stayed with me:

It's not about style. It's about you.

What does this mean? Every developer has different goals and niche.

Maybe you are a Data Analysis.
Maybe you are a ML Engineer.
Maybe you want to get ahead of AI by learning the latest AI news.
Maybe you want to fill up your GitHub Contributor graph like a Christmas tree.

Everyone has a "style" because everyone has different goals and roadmaps. However, at the end of the day, it's about you.

Think about it. Not all Software Engineers are built the same. We all have our origin stories that are unique, challenges we have to overcome ourselves, etc. That what makes us every developer unique and recruiters, especially people in general wants to hear that.

The problem becomes where we blame ourselves and we blame the things around us that affects our journey as a developer. For example, because of the rise of AI and news around it, people have become demotivated on pursuing a developer career because of the challenges it has set for everyone in the tech space. I feel like we are losing GREAT, maybe even God-Tier developers because of a small hurdle they can't overcome nor they have the support to overcome challenges to begin with.

Riddle me this: If the job market is so difficult because of AI, why is there still some people who are recent CS graduates or new developers...still get tech jobs either way? It's not that it is impossible to get one, it's just harder. It's also not because they got "lucky", it's simply because they know how to play the game.

There is a game I am recently playing called "Cuphead" (Great game btw). One of the main idea of it is that it was design to be a difficult game to play. Of course, there will be some people who doesn't find it difficult, but the point is that the game is design to be completed. The choice on whether you decide to keep going and making it to the finish line is based on you. It's always been you, not the game (never has been).

Maybe instead of blaming the market, we should adapt to it. Start learning what companies are NOW looking for in the age of AI, start doing some networking and participate in challenges on DEV for example to get more experience on building.

Maybe instead of thinking that I will not be good enough, seek advice from the community and share your struggles. Don't believe me? I am living proof!!!

Maybe you are scared of networking. Maybe you are too "tired" to keep going because of how the news are persuading you that the developer market is banished to the shadow realm. At the end of the day, you are letting outside sources control your decisions instead of having some independence and doing what you need to do. Things takes time and it's not meant you will get what you want overnight. Remember, it's you that decides on if you want to achieve what you have set, not anyone else.

Discipline and consistency is key, and always has been. It's only a matter of if you are able to commit whether the environment around you changes. The whole point of this post is to show you that you need to take initiative without having to rely on other factors to do the work for you.

Keep this in mind, there are two types of people. One who makes heavy self-reflection and are open to change and improve. The other who is forced to change based on circumstance.

If you don't do it now...when will you?

Now I think about it:

"ᴀ ꜱᴍᴏᴏᴛʜ ꜱᴇᴀ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴀ ꜱᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ ꜱᴀɪʟᴏʀ" - ꜰʀᴀɴᴋʟɪɴ ᴅ. ʀᴏᴏꜱᴇᴠᴇʟᴛ

🗓️ Monthly Dev Report: June 2026

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 14:40:57 +0000

Hey everyone! I bring you my development journey on what I have discovered, accomplishments for this month, and the goals for next month!

Additionally, I will share some posts highlights on what post I am proud of sharing to Dev.to and my top 3 posts that stood out to me this month!

✨ Dev.to Posts Highlights! ✨

Here is one of the posts I am proud of for this month!

GitHub “Finish-Up-A-Thon” Challenge Submission

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ for The DEVengers

Jun 6

Two Devs and a Copilot Created ClassifierAI: A Prototype Chrome Extension that Automatically Detects AI-Generated Content on DEV!

#discuss #devchallenge #githubchallenge #showdev

107

15 min read

Worked with @codingwithjiro on ClassifierAI: A Chrome Extension that detects AI-Generated articles on dev.to! It was fun working with Elmar and looking forward for more collaboration work in the future!

If you are interested in this project, feel free to contribute!

FrancisTR / ClassifierAI

A Chrome Extension that detects AI-generated images using Machine Learning.

Welcome to the ClassifierAI Repository!

Description

A Google Chrome Extension that integrates Machine Learning to determine if the image and the dev.to article, that the user is viewing, is AI-Generated. This uses Tensorflow.js to perform Image Classification and Text Classification.

The model is trained using Teachable Machine by Google where it is train from 866 images, that consists of AI and Non-AI images, using the following settings:

Epochs: 30
Batch Size: 16
Learning Rate: 0.0001

Technologies Used

Core Tech:

Content Analysis:

Extension Tooling:

How to Run

Clone or download the repository and navigate to the project directory.
Install the project dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Build the extension:
```
npm run build
```
Open Google Chrome and navigate to:
```
chrome://extensions
```
Enable Developer Mode in the top-right corner.
Click Load unpacked and select the generated dist/ folder.
The extension is now installed and ready to use.

Demo

This is the overall demo of the use…

View on GitHub

Here is the top 3 posts that I have discovered that stood out to me!

LLM reasoning in unseen pattern puzzles

Athreya aka Maneshwar

Jun 22

. .. . ... . .... . .... . ... .

#ai #webdev #programming #beginners

6 min read

@lovestaco A post on why LLM understand...that.

Hitting 10k followers via public learning

Aryan Choudhary

Jun 24

To The People Who Read My Weird Little Blogs

#discuss #writing #community #learning

101

4 min read

@itsugo A post of Aryan's experience on DEV!

Artem

Jun 15

I Built DockGraph: A Live Topology Map for Docker and Compose

#docker #devops #selfhost #observability

5 min read

@artemkozak A Docker Visualizer that is helpful for visual programmers and for big projects!

Monthly Discovery 🔍

🔍 A guide into getting ahead in programming. This one actually helped me to get a better understanding of myself and the goals I want to set as a programmer getting into tech.

🔍 An AI Takeover Scenario video. Interesting watch.

🔍 Unrelated Tech stuff. If you haven't seen the new Spider-man: Brand New Day trailer, it was released 11 days ago (as of this posting)!

Accomplishments 🏆

✅ 3 Pull Requests has been merged onto Forem.
✅ Cleaned up my Portfolio and Resume.
✅ Continued Virtual Coffee Contribution.
✅ Learning Ruby on Leetcode! Moved away from HackerRank for now. Feel free to follow me on LeetCode: https://leetcode.com/u/FrancisTRdev/
✅ Continued interacting with the Dev.to community.

Still working on... 🔨

🔨 Clean up my portfolio and publishing it on Dev.to for Review. I have it done, just need to publish on dev.to!

Goals for Next Month 🎯

📝 Continue Forem Contribution.
📝 Continue Virtual Coffee Contribution.
📝 Publishing my Portfolio on Dev.to for Review.
📝 Doing LeetCode Daily (on Weekdays) to learn Ruby: https://leetcode.com/u/FrancisTRdev/
📝 Continue interacting with the Dev.to community.

Feedback 💬

What else should I do for July?
Any questions/comments/advice or tips for the Monthly Report? Leave a comment below! I would love to hear from you!

I am behind, and I can't prove it but does it matter?

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 20:24:25 +0000

Let's be fair. The title of this post is confusing at first, but once you read it in full, I hope you will understand why. Do let me know if otherwise since this has been on my mind for some time.

With that said, I did some reflection during the weekend since we are halfway through 2026. On paper, I know that I did a lot such as contributing to open source for the first time, networking, etc. I know that I did a lot than I ever did but the more I think about it, the more shallow it becomes.

For example, on dev.to, I was able to grow an audience and became Moderator on the platform, which I was REALLY grateful for. I never really got this far in life where I was given the responsibility as a moderator at all. I was more of a joking type of person where even though my tone is more energetic and funny in a way, I still get my point across. It's usually the main reason why people don't really trust me on mod powers because of my behavior being volatile in a energetic way.

Besides the point, when I started to reflect on this, the only thing I can think of is "Oh, I just got moderator". Now that sounds so ungrateful if you read it, but my mind was thinking that in a very high level. It felt like I achieve one thing that shouldn't took a month to do. It didn't feel very accomplish in a sense.

My whole goal for this year is to try to find a full time role since I am graduating next year. When reflecting on what I did in the past 6 months, it felt very disappointing. In a high level, I accomplished:

Networking on dev.to and Virtual Coffee.
Updating my Resume and Portfolio.

That's it.

This made me feel disappointed in myself because I should have done more, but how should I know this beforehand? I feel behind because of the improvements that I made in which I should have accomplish this in a fraction of those 6 months instead of being 6 months.

You could argue that I contributed to Open Source and made projects with other people. But even thinking about those makes me feel like I should have done this before. You could also argue that my "portfolio looks cool". I agree, but so is other people's portfolio. With projects in general, I have been using AI more than I should. As a result, it feels that I am not growing at all regardless of the amount of contributions I have made.

You know what's crazy?? It made me realized that I have been helping others more than myself. I have been giving advice to people that is helpful on dev.to but couldn't apply that advice to myself. In other words, "I guide others to a treasure I cannot possess". It made me feel like a fraud.

I have been giving advice, not knowing if it was helpful or not, and I am not getting anything in return. It's not that I am afraid of asking for help (which I am not), but I feel like I am being gate keep and being used by other people.

For example, there was a time where I had a two-column resume and sent in for feedback. The feedback was helpful for sure, but it was more basic than anything such as grammatical errors, Education should be top or bottom of the resume, etc. However, when I changed it to one column due to ATS, the same person reviewing my resume complemented me that I should be doing one column because of ATS. You know what's crazy:

"They never mention it before. They only mention it after I changed it to one column".

This is why I feel like I am being gate keep on the knowledge that should allow me to grow. I feel like a walking curse and that I am getting despised on from other people. This is mainly the reason why I am mostly self-taught on things because I simply don't trust other people's advice based on how common the feedback is and less of in-depth. It feels like they care less about my resume.

I don't know what to do. I feel like asking for help will get me the same answers that I already knew. Even if I were to implement the feedback I get that I already knew, it feels like I am behind based on the same feedback I hear countless times and not knowing if the feedback was useful at all.

That all I wanted to share. It's hard to stay hopeful. Maybe I am a sacrifice to allow others to grow in which I cannot no matter how much I tried. I am just used to people asking me for advice and simply leave. It feels really alone when just being on dev.to, knowing others would not care on what I do. I don't really have anyone to share my accomplishments with. Every time I share something, it falls into these categories:

Ignore.
They see it, but left on read.
They see it and say good job..then move on to a different topic.

Even sharing posts with my friends on creating ClassifierAI with @codingwithjiro and getting engagements (which I am grateful for), it feels shallow and none of my friends even care about it since most of my friends are not technical. Even a few friends that are like me, it still the same result.

I don't think anybody would care. We are all focus on ourselves. Besides, I am just another statistic on DEV...

Ask a DEV Community Mod! 🚀

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 16:52:39 +0000

Disclaimer: Please read the full post before commenting. This post will be refined overtime, so I highly encourage to check back if there are any updates!

Hey everyone!

My name is Francis and I am a DEV user for 6 months. There is something I want to reveal...

I am a DEV Community Moderator

I am a Trusted Member AND a Tag Moderator for the #discuss (https://dev.to/t/discuss). With both, I am a DEV Community Mod! :D

My goal as a DEV Community Moderator is to ensure the community abides DEV's Mission and their Terms of Service when it comes to implementing best practices to writing articles and interacting with the community.

A guide for community interaction and getting started on DEV can be found here:

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ

Mar 20

Get Started on Dev.to! A Beginner's Guide to Engage with the Community! 💡

#discuss #community #beginners #howtodevto

228

184

7 min read

The Goal of this Post!

I want to create a thread that allow users to ask questions and get a response in a timely manner. As a DEV Mod, I want to ensure you have your questions answered from a Mod perspective.

@ben, @jess and the rest of the DEV Team are extremely busy, especially with the acquisition of Major League Hacking.

A lot is happening behind the scenes at DEV and I believe I want to take the responsibility to answers questions and concerns as we are moving forward. It will save valuable time for the DEV team!

Ask a DEV Community Mod! 🚀 | Francis Tran

Recently, dev.to was acquired by Major League Hacking back in Febuary. It is one of the biggest news of 2026! As Jess Lee and Ben Halpern are working hard on integrating new moderation rules, I recently made a post where I am able to take in your questions about anything dev.to related when it comes to AI usage and moderation practices. Any questions related to dev.to can be commented in this post below: https://lnkd.in/gWGt63_3 Looking forward to hear from you in the meantime!

linkedin.com

If you have questions about:

AI usage on DEV and ways I can improve my Moderation.
Questions on how to use DEV.
What a Community Mod can and cannot do.
Other fun Icebreakers (Love to chat!).

Note: Any questions related to how DEV and MLH team operates internally can be contacted through to the DEV team email: yo@dev.to

I would love to hear from you!

Q/A

How do you determine the Article's Quality?

The article is based on these key factors:

User activity, reading the article in its entirety, running via GPTzero.

No favoritism is involve in the decision making whether the post is consider high or low quality.

If you believe there is a mistake or that you notice something different when posting content on DEV (such as visibility and Sloan Messages), let me know!

Is "Sloan" a real person?

It's a bot that Community Moderators control. Note that Tag Moderators exclusively do not have this power.

Are you the only Moderator?

No. There are others out there like me. According to @jess, I am the most active Moderator currently. Note that Moderation changes will be implemented in the future. I recommend revisiting this post for updates!

Comment on Ask a DEV Community Mod! 🚀 Jess Lee Jun 16

Hey all, just wanted to share that we'll be updating our general moderation guidelines and tooling for the community soon.

A lot goes on behind-the-scenes that's a combination of manual moderation and automated spam detection. There is a lot of nuance here that requires constant adjustment and rebalancing.

I'll note that there are hundreds of mods with the ability to send messages via Sloan, so not all of it has fallen on Francis's shoulders - though we deeply appreciate his dedication to the the community, and he is by far one of our most active volunteer moderators.

We'll share a more substantial update on community moderation and our perspective on AI-assisted content in the next few weeks.

Ask away DEV Community! :D

End of the Year idea for DEV?

FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ (っ◔◡◔)っ — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 20:24:36 +0000

Hey all!

I have this thought in mind that we should all come together as a community to celebrate the end of the year.

I am planning on doing this yearly under the DEVenger org, but I don't have any ideas as of now. We can do something like "the DEV community built this" or something.

If you have any ideas on what the dev.to community should do, let me know!