2019

Another year, another retrospective. Factoids and data on life and work.

Published on December 29, 2019, filed under Everything Else.

An HTML Optimizer’s Config for html-minifier

Jad (Joubran) asked me about my configuration for html-minifier the other week, and in a hurry I pointed him to the config I had worked out for sum.cumo. In my own projects, however, I work with a different, more ambitious setup.

Published on December 20, 2019, filed under Development.

On Codes of Conduct

On the idea, the wish, the vision of us treating each other well.

Published on December 13, 2019, filed under Everything Else.

When to Open Links in a New Tab

Always open links in the same tab unless doing so 1) could disrupt a process, 2) could risk data loss, or 3) could confuse the user.

Published on December 9, 2019, filed under Development and Design.

On Leadership

Leadership is important, and it can be learned.

Published on December 2, 2019, filed under Management.

CSS: When to Use Logical Properties

Logical properties are great and long overdue. They are great because they solve an ugly problem of international, multi-directional web development in that directionality does not need to affect your writing and managing of CSS anymore…

Published on November 22, 2019, filed under Development.

Website Optimization Measures, Part IX

Random improvements and notes around compression and caching, content security and feature policies, IndieWeb markup, protocols in links, entity references, image formats, and ISBNs in URL paths.

Published on November 14, 2019, filed under Development.

Upgrade Your HTML (the Booklet)

I’ve written a very short book on improving HTML code: Upgrade Your HTML. Upgrade Your HTML is about one thing: Picking examples of HTML in the wild, and explaining how to make that code better. Kindly. Constructively. Thoroughly, as finding a balance between detail and brevity permits.

Published on November 4, 2019, filed under Development.

On Writing Better Markup

As HTML is so important and yet also so easy, everyone writes HTML, and everyone says they can write HTML. And with that they don’t just mean they are able to write HTML, but that they write good HTML, where “good” means “high quality.” That would be great news.

Published on October 16, 2019, filed under Development.

The Developer’s Fallacy of Close Collaboration With Designers

Working closely with designers makes sense and is awesome, notably for mutual understanding and efficiency. And yet there are also good reasons not to work closely with designers. For developers it’s important, for otherwise foolish, to be aware.

Published on October 1, 2019, filed under Development and Design.

Definition of Web Developer

Web developer, n.: A person who—

Published on September 24, 2019, filed under Development.

“Must Work Without JavaScript”

That websites should work without JavaScript has a long professional tradition, and for apps much the same has been asked for. Yet with the success and ubiquity of scripting, how relevant is it to make sure sites and apps “work without JavaScript”?

Published on September 5, 2019, filed under Development.

Optional HTML: Everything You Need to Know

Optional HTML can be left out to improve performance, to guide code comprehension, and to hone the craft. An overview over all optional tags, rules around quotes for attribute values, and omissible attribute value defaults, as well as notes on pitfalls and tools.

Published on August 20, 2019, filed under Development.

Sources 2019

In 2014, for idealistic transparency and enthusiastic link love, I’ve shared the feed sources I was following at the time. I’m still a huge believer in and user of feeds. As I also still like to be transparent I thought to share an update.

Published on August 13, 2019, filed under Everything Else.

When to Use “img,” “img@srcset,” and “picture” and “source”

I’ve disliked srcset and the whole family of ideas around it from the start because doing the same thing for the same purpose several times has usually looked like too much DX cost for too little UX gain to me. Two angles at what to use when.

Published on July 17, 2019, filed under Development.

13 Leadership Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

We’ve all seen approaches to team management and leadership that work, and others that don’t. A brief and scrappy list of the mistakes I’ve witnessed (or committed), together with thoughts on how not to make them.

Published on July 8, 2019, filed under Management.

Image Compression: How to Super-Easily Set Up Automated Base Optimization

Setting up image compression tooling is easy—and for those who want to err on the safe side automatically employing lossless compression, it’s even easier with a solution from sum.cumo: Merlin.

Published on June 24, 2019, filed under Development.

The Problem With Web Development Checklists, or: The Frontend Checklist, Revised

Checklists are a great way to make sure nothing gets forgotten, yet they are problematic when they contain items that aren’t important. A few general thoughts and a very specific review of The Frontend Checklist—of which 33 guidelines appear useful, and 41 not (yet).

Published on June 19, 2019, filed under Development.

3 Reasons Against Ad Blockers

Ad blockers are popular. Yet, they’re also a problem. They’re a problem that can be broken into three sub-problems, sub-problems that speak not only against the use of ad blockers but argue against their existence.

Published on May 31, 2019, filed under Everything Else.

Understanding Image Compression: Tooling and Context

Image compression plays an important role in performance optimization. It seems straightforward but is a little deceptive, however, because it consists not of one but two parts—and it’s usually lack of understanding of one part that causes problems.

Published on May 22, 2019, filed under Development.

A Crime Called Favicon

16×16, 30×30, 32×32, 48×48, 57×57, 60×60, 64×64, 70×70, 72×72, 76×76, 90×90, 96×96, 114×114, 120×120, 128×128, 144×144, 150×150, 152×152, 160×160, 167×167, 180×180, 192×192, 195×195, 196×196, 228×228, 256×256, 270×270, 310×310, 558×558.

Published on May 9, 2019, filed under Development.

How Can We Make Website Maintenance Work More Visible?

The maintenance and maintainability of websites is a much neglected topic. This is problematic because: We cannot not maintain. Yet primarily we may deal with a visibility problem that we could explore more options for.

Published on April 24, 2019, filed under Development.

Counter the Happiness Assumption

It may be rather clear that life is not all about being happy.

Published on April 16, 2019, filed under Philosophy.

199 Love Haiku (the Book)

In 2016, I wrote 1,000 short poems, haiku-style. I wrote those poems to challenge myself as a writer. I launched a website for the haiku and I shared the story. Today, I’ve published the 199 haiku that a few friends and I liked the most as a book.

Published on April 9, 2019, filed under Design and Everything Else.

Print Styling, the 3 Basics

Many sites are not prepared for print, and yet our users print, and they save through print. Therefore: Have a print style sheet, and be it a negative one. Hide what’s not usable or useful. Always test, and tweak when you want better.

Published on April 5, 2019, filed under Development and Design.