Jens Oliver Meiert

Articles and books on the craft of web development (specifically, HTML and CSS optimization and maintainability) as well as on engineering management and leadership. (Exceptions prove the rule.)

Not Knowable

Casual appreciation about our dealing with knowledge.

Published on September 29, 2024, filed under .

Untrained Engineering Managers

Web development has always had a developer training issue, but it also has one on the management and leadership side. On a challenge we’re all familiar with but rarely talk and do something about.

Published on September 27, 2024, filed under and .

Website Optimization Measures, Part XXVI

Optimizations related to the Google docs viewer, dependency management, English terms in German copy, Prettier, AWS, SEO bots, Eleventy, and DreamHost.

Published on September 19, 2024, filed under .

On Ticket Management

Issue tracking tools like Jira, GitHub Issues, or Bugzilla are essential for managing bugs and tasks (that is, issues). However, not everyone finds ticket management convenient or convincing. A perspective on why tickets matter, and how they can be used well.

Published on September 17, 2024, filed under and .

The Assessment Paradox

For any individual or group we may think that it can assess itself best because it knows itself best. Yet this is not reliable. We may then think it’s other individuals or groups interacting with that first individual or group who may be able to assess it. This is not so, either.

Published on September 14, 2024, filed under and .

2024: 0.5% of the Global Top 200 Websites Use Valid HTML

The annual HTML conformance analysis, validating 200 home pages of the most popular websites. Despite improvements, there is no signal of commitment to valid output as a quality baseline to benefit end users as well as web development as a profession.

Published on September 11, 2024, filed under .

On Disagreement

From discomfort that can lead to shortcuts to challenges that may yield transformations.

Published on September 8, 2024, filed under .

The HTML History and Optimization Cheat Sheet

Compare elements and specifications, check on void elements and optional tags.

Published on September 5, 2024, filed under .

Notes on Setting Up a Static Website With AWS (Route 53, S3, ACM)

…and whether doing so is worth it. (There are pos and cons, and they all seem pretty dramatic.)

Published on September 4, 2024, filed under .

Notes on Hooking Up a Website With Cloudflare

I played around with Cloudflare.

Published on September 3, 2024, filed under .

Imposing on Hearing

On the sense that we may be able to defend the least.

Published on August 31, 2024, filed under .

Why I Don’t Block AI Scrapers

“The Tortoise and the Hare,” human/AI edition.

Published on August 29, 2024, filed under and .

We Always Knew Anyone Could Take Our Content

From “I show your content, but you get the click” to “I show your content” to “here’s other people’s content based on your content.”

Published on August 29, 2024, filed under .

Website Optimization Measures, Part XXV

On caching headers, capitalization, social graphics, download priorities, logical properties, Cloudflare, viewport metadata, obsolete markup, and calls to action.

Published on August 21, 2024, filed under and .

A Web Development Term a Day…

…on Mastodon, Bluesky, and Twitter/X. (With a queue lasting 10 years and growing.)

Published on August 19, 2024, filed under .

AI Paradox

Have you outrun your headlights yet?

Published on August 18, 2024, filed under and .

The cover of “Rote Learning HTML & CSS.”

Now Available: “Rote Learning HTML & CSS,” the Most Boring Free Ebook Ever

The book you never thought you wanted. The rough and raw skeleton of HTML and CSS. Elements, attributes, selectors, properties. No explanations, no examples, no context. Not a New York Times bestseller (it’s free).

Published on August 14, 2024, filed under .

A Node and Command Line Tool to Find Obsolete HTML

Ever wondered if and where you have obsolete HTML in your code base? Of course, there’s a tool for that.

Published on August 12, 2024, filed under .

Feed Sources 2024

My current feed subscriptions. (Because, what would we be without syndication on the Web.)

Published on August 7, 2024, filed under .

Calling Someone “Too Old” Is Ageist

The “too old” thing needs to stop.

Published on August 4, 2024, filed under .

On Mapping the World of Frontend Development

What if we had easy access to many—thousands—of the most useful, interesting, influential frontend development posts from 2000–2019? If you took care of it, how would you go about it, what challenges would you face, what would excite you? Here are some impressions, doing this work, for Frontend Dogma.

Published on July 30, 2024, filed under .

On Title Case

Casual thoughts about my experience with title case, a recent switch from AP-inspired to NYT-governed guidelines, and the respective guidelines themselves.

Published on July 27, 2024, filed under and .

Thoughts on CSS in 2024

What I appreciate, what I don’t need (so far)—light and casual and certainly subjective notes on contemporary CSS.

Published on July 15, 2024, filed under .

Transitive Optimization Considered—Interesting

Transitive optimization means that if we improve A to optimize B, and optimizations of B also optimize C, then improving A should also lead to an optimization of C. But now what?

Published on July 10, 2024, filed under .

3 Good Reasons for Vegan and Vegetarian “Substitute” Products

On acknowledging forms, maintaining connection, and making it easier to live empathically and sustainably.

Published on June 30, 2024, filed under .