Today, I want to express gratitude towards people who do my personal least favorite type of software development for free. I'm referring to open source frontend developers.

My career path keeps me a respectable distance from getting in the weeds with frontend code. I never have to do deal with HTML and CSS, and very rarely do I have to deal with Javascript code. If I do, it's usually in passing -- to understand enough of it that I can create a DevOps solution to remove blockers.

However, I am forced to deal with these things when I'm working on personal websites on projects, like this blog you're reading and my 8mm digitizing business. I have to be my own full-stack developer!

So, to Steve Kemp, who created the static blog generator I use here, I say, thank you! Simon Bengtsson, creator of the notrack theme I use for DFW8mm.com, thank you! And whoever spun out the HTML used for the website of the Dillo web browser, which I shamelessly ripped off for my personal landing page, thank you!

Each of these people created something that was 90% of what I wanted to accomplish. It's through their generosity and skill that I'm able to express myself in the way I see fit. And the icing on the cake is that their designs are fast, compatible with all browsers, and require no nasty Javascript to work!

Tags: css, frontend, gratitude, tech, web development, websites | No comments