Confessions of a Web Developer XVII

By David Walsh on September 24, 2019

It's been quite a while since I've gotten a few things off of my chest and since I'm always full of peeves and annoyances I thought it was time to unleash:

Firefox's DevTools are outstanding right now. From the improvements we've made to the debugger, to responsive design mode, inactive CSS, and more, I haven't needed Chrome for development in years. That said...
...I've been using Brave as my non-development browser over the past month and ... I really enjoy the Brave browser. I appreciate the forward thinking in micropayments and ad blocking, as well as Brave Rewards to choose to see ads to earn $BAT, private TOR tabs, and more. Well done Brendan Eich and crew!
In an ideal world I'd love to get rid of traditional ad networks on this. The problem remains that they're the most effective in as far as revenue by far. I've tried micropayments and providing crypto wallet addresses for people to donate but the nature of the web, and users expecting things for free, doesn't allow it.
Weather.com brings tears to my eyes. I've tried desperately to make this blog fast but it's as though Weather.com takes more time and processing that mining a bitcoin. I mean seriously....
I have an interview with a web developer of a prominent adult site coming soon. We talk tech, the atmosphere, and everything in between. Stay tuned -- you'll surely find it interesting!
AirPods are worth every penny. I tried buying knockoffs but they were all a horror show: wouldn't pair, would change IDs, couldn't hold a charge. AirPods just work and I'm willing to pay for easy...
...unlike MacBook Pros. The 2017 MacBook Pro model's keyboard is a joke. Someone please steal me from the Apple Ecosystem.
Performance profiles are really hard to read. I just want to run a routine multiple times and immediately be told what the major differences are. Instead it sometimes feel like a guessing game. Imagine a tool that identifies a slow snippet of code and suggests a better loop or pattern...gold.
When Mozilla finally gets smart and sends me packing, I think I'd want to work on a streaming content site. These services fascinate me and most have awesome user experiences -- it would be fun to be part of that. Or maybe a financial firm -- I'd learn loads about security and asset management.

Any strong feelings about my comments? Have anything you'd like to confess? Please share!

Recent Features

By David WalshNovember 7, 2012

Camera and Video Control with HTML5

Client-side APIs on mobile and desktop devices are quickly providing the same APIs. Of course our mobile devices got access to some of these APIs first, but those APIs are slowly making their way to the desktop. One of those APIs is the getUserMedia API...

By David WalshMay 18, 2011

CSS Gradients

With CSS border-radius, I showed you how CSS can bridge the gap between design and development by adding rounded corners to elements. CSS gradients are another step in that direction. Now that CSS gradients are supported in Internet Explorer 8+, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome...

Incredible Demos

By David WalshApril 7, 2008

MooTools 1.2 OpenLinks Plugin

I often incorporate tools into my customers' websites that allow them to have some control over the content on their website. When doing so, I offer some tips to my clients to help them keep their website in good shape. One of the tips...

By David WalshMarch 29, 2016

Spatial Navigation

Spatial navigation is the ability to navigate to focusable elements based on their position in a given space. Spatial navigation is a must when your site or app must respond to arrow keys, a perfect example being a television with directional pad remote. Firefox OS TV apps are simply...