Articles

Understanding and using npm exports

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npm exports lets you specify how users can import or require your files. (For instructions on using require, see below).

Invisible adversaries

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In Bravery, I mentioned I had a few fears.

These fears are real to me. They don't feel like the bogeyman that Seth Godin mentions in the Practice. If they are, perhaps I haven’t summoned enough courage to look them in the eye, enough to a point that they disappear, yet.

No more waiting

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When was the last time you waited for something?

Me? I hate to admit it. But the last time was today! (I've been waiting for my wife to watch a movie with me for MONTHS. And I eventually decided to stop waiting).

Handling cookies with Fetch's credentials

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Fetch has a credentials option that can be used to send credentials to servers. It has three possible values — omit, same-origin, and include.

  • What does each of these three values do?
  • Does Fetch send cookies to specific servers only?
  • Does Fetch send specific cookies only?

I couldn't find answers to these questions online so I began experimenting. I want to document my findings and experiments for people who have the same questions.

Using Cookies vs Local Storage for storing access tokens

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Many people have voiced strong opinions about whether one should use Cookies or localStorage to store credentials like access tokens.

The common argument is cookies are more secure, but localStorage is easier to use.

From my research, I believe neither argument is correct.

Bravery

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I’m in the process of doing one of the bravest things I have ever done in my entire career as a developer.

Move fast, break things

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You probably heard of this before.

It seems to be quite popular in the web development, indie-hacking, and startup worlds.

But it’s a horrible mindset to adopt.

Why I love the web

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I love the web for the possibility and connection it gives.

Each one of us—reading this or not—is connected to the magical web infrastructure through our phones, tablets and desktops.

Everything is just one click away.

Everyone is just one screen away.

So we get to make a bigger difference than we think we can.

Yet, most of us shy away from this connection, preferring to hide behind our fears and insecurity. And all we end up discussing are technology stacks… (at least that’s what I see most developers doing).

I think we can do way more.

The web is a big place

We can have conversations about the topics that are important to us.

This can include development, design, building stuff, dreams, goals, music, and everything else.

We don't have to limit our conversation topics to just "JavaScript", or "Frontend Development", or any man-made category that your blog seems to be revolving about.

When you give yourself the chance to explore topics, you honour your connections to each of these topics. You build a better relationship with them — and the people who may care about that particular topic.

You only have to do two things:

  1. Start the conversation
  2. Keep talking about it

But what if nobody cares?

Somebody does—and that somebody is you.

When you allow yourself to care, magic happens. You allow yourself to spread the magic we call "you".

Even if nobody cares about what you care about right now, eventually somebody will, if you care enough to keep talking about it.

Because someone out there on this vast planet is probably going to care about the same thing as you — and the only distance between you two (and possibly many more) is that you don't know of each other (yet).

When you share, you offer up a chance for like-minded people to find you. And when you're connected, you're both in a better place than before.

So start talking about the things you care about.

It's Not Spam

What you care about is not spam.

At the very least, it's not spam for the people who can connect with you on that angle. It's not spam because they care about the same subject as you do.

But for everyone else, it is spam.

The people who can connect with you on the things you care about will only begin to show up if you continue having conversations about these things.

What's more important?

Finding a connection to your passion and the people who revolve around them? Or pandering to others' whims and criticisms?

Don't be afraid of sharing what you care about.

It's already spam. Yet it is not.

We stand for far more than we allow ourselves to show

The internet says you should either be this or that, not both. Put yourself into a box so others can better understand you, they say.

That's bullshit.

People will always seek out what they wish to understand or know more of. Begin with a topic you care about and people will naturally begin to gather around it.

  • Stop limiting yourself.
  • Stop being limited by others.

Be more vocal.

Share what you care about. Show your actions on these things too. Let your magic shine through.

We'll all be in a better place tomorrow if we begin doing this today.

Analytics and Ads

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True to my word, I spent the last two weeks diving into analytics and advertisements — mostly the tracking part of it.

Splendid Layouts in here!

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Happy Chinese New Year (if you’re celebrating it! 🍊).

I’ve been hard at work over the past week (even today!) to bring Splendid Layouts to you, as promised in my last email.

Splendid Layouts

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If everything has gone according to plan, I will be launching the complete version of CSS Layout Patterns today.

Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan.

Though I must say it didn't go according to the plan in a good way.

My CSS of Late

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As I transition from a "Web Developer" into someone who just wants to build applications, I'm realizing that I don't like to dig as deep into the fundamentals of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript anymore.

Instead, I just want to combine them in ways that will make my next job — building stuff — easier.

3 Techniques to learn JavaScript effectively

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If you know how to study JavaScript effectively, you will be able to master it within months. If you don’t, you’ll take way longer than necessary.

Today, I’m going to reveal three techniques that I have used to help myself and many others master JavaScript quickly.