Has Javascript gotten any better?

Jason Huebel — Fri, 05 Jul 2019 15:58:06 +0000

Let me start by saying, I'm not a front-end developer and I've typically stuck with PHP or Python for back-end development, Vue for simple front-end components and Bootstrap for styling. Like most developers, I've dabbled in other languages. But when I just want to get things done, these are the obvious go-to's for me. They are expressive and have obvious ways of going about things. Even putting a framework on top of PHP or Python has a fairly easy learning curve.

But I know that my front-end development skills are lacking. If it's more complicated than Bootstrap and a basic Vue component, I'll probably spend a lot of time combing through Stack Overflow looking for solutions.

Knowing this lack, I will occasionally dip my toe into the Javascript pool. Every JS framework assumes a working knowledge of Javascript before you can really get anything serious done. So I know that before I even look at Angular, React, etc I need to learn the ins and outs of Javascript first. Each time I've attempted to improve my Javascript skills, I've just become frustrated by how finicky and help-baked Javascript seems to be.

Am I the only one who feels this way? Has Javascript just gained mass acceptance despite it's many and significant flaws? And are all of these JS frameworks effectively an effort to hide those flaws?

If the article linked below from 2017 is any indication, I'm not the only one who feels this way about Javascript. (Fair warning, the cover image for the article isn't exactly SFW. Exposed breasts.)

Hackernoon: The Javascript Phenomenon Is A Mass Psychosis

But I wanted to get the Dev.to community's take on this.

Comments, constructive criticism and links to resources that will help a back-end developer become a reasonably competitent front-end developer are all welcome.

Am I actually stupid or is Javascript just gaslighting me?

When is the right time to fork?

Jason Huebel — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 18:30:06 +0000

I've recently been contributing to an open sourced project, shared under the MIT License, that I'm planning on using within the company I currently work for. I'm the sole contributor as the project has been mostly dormant (except for some minor PRs) since 2017.

What are some possible reasons you might discontinue submitting PRs upstream?

DEV Community: Jason Huebel

Has Javascript gotten any better?

When is the right time to fork?