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I’m sorry, but this is ridiculous for a static site. React and Typescript with embedded markdown? This problem has been solved a thousand times over with much

by jcpst 6y ago

I’m sorry, but this is ridiculous for a static site. React and Typescript with embedded markdown? This problem has been solved a thousand times over with much simpler tooling. > I literally have zero memory of how we used to build forms in the pre-React times. :(

ssss11 6y ago
I cane here to say this. In fact, I’m wondering now if the site is actually satire!
francisofascii 6y ago
100% Agree. But let's be honest. For most developers, the 1st priority of a personal blog is not page views, but job offers. So it makes sense to make your personal site using the tech that matches your skills.
- HomeDeLaPot 6y ago
  Absolutely agree, but in this case I don't think it was the justification the author used.
tikkabhuna 6y ago
We've been using Gatsby for a blog. Writing the layout in React gives us backend devs experience with it whilst staying relatively simple. Markdown then gives us a nice way to write content and separates layout and presentation from that content. Gatsby has loads of plugins and examples so getting started is easy. There's a plugin for an RSS feed. I'm completely with you that a blog can be HTML and CSS, but I can clone a Gatsby starter blog and add some markdown files within 15 minutes. I see this approach as a low cost alternative to Wordpress.
- jaredcwhite 6y ago
  You don't need Gatsby for any of those things you want to do. You can accomplish the same goal with a much simpler toolkit, like Eleventy. Or my favorite, Bridgetown, for the Rubyists out there.
TomMarius 6y ago
Wordpress is surely way "bigger" solution than this.
woutr_be 6y ago
> I literally have zero memory of how we used to build forms in the pre-React times. This is honestly quite a disturbing trend with a lot of front-end developers these days. I recently asked a front-end dev why they chose React for a simple app over simple server-side templating, he's reaction was "we don't need SEO, so why do we need React SSR", like how does that argument even make sense. They seem to have forgotten you can build stuff without a JS framework. The default has to be SPA + API, even when you don't actually need it.
- joekrill 6y ago
  > I recently asked a front-end dev why they chose React for a simple app over simple server-side templating I don't really get this argument. What makes "simple server-side templating" better than React components? I'd argue that these React components effectively are templates. If someone is proficient in React, why are we suggesting they have to learn some other random templating language? Not to mention deal with additional things like file organization, transpiling, etc.
  - ryanbrunner 6y ago
    If the argument is "what makes ERB / JST / some other templating language better than React for server-side rendering" then sure, there's not really much difference. What I suspect was the intent of the original question was "why does a simple app need to be an SPA with an API on the backend", which I do feel is something that adds significant complexity to any project. It's sometimes worth it, but I'll never be convinced that having to maintain an API alongside client-side rendering is faster or easier than a traditional server-rendered application.
    - woutr_be 6y ago
      Complexity is one thing, but more importantly is choosing the right tools for the job. There definitely are cases where you want SPA + API, but this wasn’t one of them.
  - woutr_be 6y ago

by jcpst 6y ago

ssss11 6y ago

I cane here to say this. In fact, I’m wondering now if the site is actually satire!

francisofascii 6y ago

100% Agree. But let's be honest. For most developers, the 1st priority of a personal blog is not page views, but job offers. So it makes sense to make your personal site using the tech that matches your skills.

HomeDeLaPot 6y ago
Absolutely agree, but in this case I don't think it was the justification the author used.

tikkabhuna 6y ago

We've been using Gatsby for a blog. Writing the layout in React gives us backend devs experience with it whilst staying relatively simple. Markdown then gives us a nice way to write content and separates layout and presentation from that content. Gatsby has loads of plugins and examples so getting started is easy. There's a plugin for an RSS feed. I'm completely with you that a blog can be HTML and CSS, but I can clone a Gatsby starter blog and add some markdown files within 15 minutes. I see this approach as a low cost alternative to Wordpress.

jaredcwhite 6y ago
You don't need Gatsby for any of those things you want to do. You can accomplish the same goal with a much simpler toolkit, like Eleventy. Or my favorite, Bridgetown, for the Rubyists out there.

TomMarius 6y ago

Wordpress is surely way "bigger" solution than this.

woutr_be 6y ago

> I literally have zero memory of how we used to build forms in the pre-React times. This is honestly quite a disturbing trend with a lot of front-end developers these days. I recently asked a front-end dev why they chose React for a simple app over simple server-side templating, he's reaction was "we don't need SEO, so why do we need React SSR", like how does that argument even make sense. They seem to have forgotten you can build stuff without a JS framework. The default has to be SPA + API, even when you don't actually need it.

joekrill 6y ago
> I recently asked a front-end dev why they chose React for a simple app over simple server-side templating I don't really get this argument. What makes "simple server-side templating" better than React components? I'd argue that these React components effectively are templates. If someone is proficient in React, why are we suggesting they have to learn some other random templating language? Not to mention deal with additional things like file organization, transpiling, etc.
- ryanbrunner 6y ago
  If the argument is "what makes ERB / JST / some other templating language better than React for server-side rendering" then sure, there's not really much difference. What I suspect was the intent of the original question was "why does a simple app need to be an SPA with an API on the backend", which I do feel is something that adds significant complexity to any project. It's sometimes worth it, but I'll never be convinced that having to maintain an API alongside client-side rendering is faster or easier than a traditional server-rendered application.
  - woutr_be 6y ago
    Complexity is one thing, but more importantly is choosing the right tools for the job. There definitely are cases where you want SPA + API, but this wasn’t one of them.
- woutr_be 6y ago