Mike Babb @mikebabb@mastodon.technology
Front end web developer. Open Web advocate and supporter of FOSS projects. Currently working with React and Redux 👨💻
Joined Apr 2017
Runners, what's your app of choice for tracking runs?
If, as a developer, you're intimidated by those enormous "learning roadmaps" that occasionally do the rounds, take heart in the fact that even if you're relatively junior you can likely still teach the creator of Redux a thing or two: https://overreacted.io/things-i-dont-know-as-of-2018/
Not knowing everything isn't a failure, and even seasoned devs are constantly learning.
Mike Babb
boosted
"GoDaddy is injecting JavaScript into websites hosted on their systems to track users" 😒https://www.techrepublic.com/article/godaddy-injecting-site-breaking-javascript-into-customer-websites-heres-a-fix/
Mike Babb
boosted
wow, this is a new one
if you need my “personal data” to pay your staff then you need to find a more ethical fucking business model
Mike Babb
boosted
I have been completely removed from Facebook for a full year. It has been the best year in recent memory. OBSERVATIONS:
1) I'm still "connected" to current events. I'm just not bombarded with a thousand "rage-bait" rants about it.
2) I'm still connected with everyone that matters. We've shared the responsibility of staying in touch. Sometimes it's on me to reach out, sometimes it's on them. The people who haven't kept up with me, were just a relationship of ceremony and convenience.
3) I'm substantially less depressed. Surprising no one, I guess. It didn't cure depression, but it alleviated that which it brought: A lot.
4) I'm still super social online. I have community here and a few other places. We do things together, and don't just try to whip ourselves into a fury.
5) I've gained a meaningful perspective: *MY* perspective. Getting away from the manipulative pieces of those social media sites has given me enough clarity to be, well... "me."
YMMV
Mike Babb
boosted
"If the importance of good HTML isn’t well-understood by the newer breed of JavaScript developers, then it’s my job as a DOWF (Dull Old Web Fart) to explain what it means, and why it’s important..."
"The practical value of semantic HTML" by Bruce Lawson https://www.brucelawson.co.uk/2018/the-practical-value-of-semantic-html/
Mike Babb
boosted
" #Firefox is once again the only thing standing in the way of a complete monopoly." https://adactio.com/journal/14608
"You'll need to learn GraphQL" is my biggest takeaway from NPM's review of JavaScript in 2018 and predictions for next year: https://blog.npmjs.org/post/180868064080/this-year-in-javascript-2018-in-review-and-npms
There's a lot of buzz around GraphQL at the moment, and I'm looking forward to getting to grips with it in the new year 👨💻
Mike Babb
boosted
Random reminder to use a password manager if you aren't already! It'll help you stay safe online by using long, unique passwords for each service you use.
While LastPass or 1Password are great choices, I prefer KeePassXC
Official site: https://keepassxc.org/
Official quick-start guide: https://keepassxc.org/quickstart/
My getting-started guide: https://sts10.github.io/2017/06/27/keepassxc-setup-guide.html
Nextcloud joins the fediverse, adding social networking to its already-impressive list of private cloud capabilities in version 15: https://nextcloud.com/blog/nextcloud-introduces-social-features-joins-the-fediverse/ ☁️
Mike Babb
boosted
Hey Mastodonians, #GNUSocial citizens and others! Gear up for tens of millions of Nextcloud users spread over several 100K servers who can now join the #fediverse in just one click!
Join the global social network!
https://nextcloud.com/blog/nextcloud-introduces-social-features-joins-the-fediverse/
#mastodon #selfhosting #federation
Mike Babb
boosted
To the Tumblr refugees: welcome!
Having been on the Internet for over thirty years, I have one piece of advice for creative folks working online:
Control Your Platform.
Don't build a business around Facebook, Tumbler, G+, Geocities, MySpace, AltaVista, or any of these other third parties that claim to offer quick and easy results.
They all go away. Every one of them.
Build your own site. Use third parties to steer people to your site.
Third parties are the devil--useful devils, but devils.
React Hooks look like they'll make it much easier to keep large components tidy and readable. I particularly like combining componentDidMount, componentDidUpdate, and componentWillUnmount in to a single function 🎉 
“Create your own dysfunctional single-page app in five easy steps” describes a few common traps that product teams can fall in to working on single page applications: https://tinnedfruit.com/articles/create-your-own-dysfunctional-single-page-app.html
Super handy VSCode plugin that syncs your config across multiple machines via your GitHub account: https://shanalikhan.github.io/2015/12/15/Visual-Studio-Code-Sync-Settings.html
shift + alt + u = upload config
shift + alt + d = download config
🎉
Mike Babb
boosted
A company looking for a hiring algorithm asked for an audit before buying and "found that the algorithm found two factors to be most indicative of job performance: their name was Jared, and whether they played high school lacrosse." https://qz.com/1427621/companies-are-on-the-hook-if-their-hiring-algorithms-are-biased/
Found an excellent React cheatsheet that covers everything from simple stateless components to React Router and Redux: http://www.developer-cheatsheets.com/react 🙌
It's Bath Digital Festival week! The pass is just £15 and there are some great looking sessions on. Looking forward to attending a few! https://bathdigitalfestival.co.uk
Front end web developer. Open Web advocate and supporter of FOSS projects. Currently working with React and Redux 👨💻
Joined Apr 2017
