Could you learn to swim without getting into the water? Of course not!
So avoid getting trapped in a cycle of reading articles, watching videos, and thinking you are making progress.
I am an advocate for starting side projects. Heck, Codú was a side project to learn some new things.
With your day job, it is easy to become comfortable solving certain types of problems or having certain people you can go to when you get stuck.
When you try something by yourself, you get creative and learn a lot more because you have to be your own safety net.
I have a few thoughts on why side projects make you a better developer, which you can read here if you are interested.
Upcoming event
Our next IRL event is in Dublin next week, and I would love it if you could come. You can RSVP here - Tuesday, April 23, 2024
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM IST.
PS: We are looking for partners for the events. If you know any companies interested in reaching over 1,200 developers this year, send them my email!
My picks from Codú
How to style forms in Django using Widget Tweaks (5 min)
Learn to style Django forms beautifully with Widget Tweaks for a modern user experience
Integration of Angular, Vue.js and React with .NET: Creating a Modern Web Experience (4 min)
The amalgamation of frontend marvels with the robust backbone of .NET has revolutionized the landscape of modern web development.
Formatting Money in JavaScript with Intl.NumberFormat (2 min)
JavaScript Intl.NumberFormat object offers a simple way to format currency values according to different international standards.
How to Run a Shell Commands in Node.js (1 min)
This capability comes from the child_process module, which provides various methods to spawn child processes.
Other Articles/Resources
Infinite Portals by Karim Malloul (CodePen)
This is some next-level creative coding: a birdhouse inside a sand castle inside a birdhouse, and so on. It is worth the click!
Reddit Architecture: The Evolutionary Journey (19 min)
In this post, the author goes through the evolution of the software architecture in Reddit.
UI Components: ShadCN, Tailwind UI, Headless, React Aria, Radix UI (video)
Scott and Wes explore UI Components, discussing functionality, styling, accessibility, and theming. From headless components to styled starters, they share valuable insights to elevate your UI game.
Debunking Devin: First AI Software Engineer Upwork lie exposed! (video)
Carl debunks Devin, so our jobs are safe for now.
Cool tools
Tauri
A security-first toolkit! Tauri is a toolkit that helps developers make applications for the major desktop platforms - using virtually any existing frontend framework. The core is built with Rust, and the CLI leverages Node.js, making Tauri a genuinely polyglot approach to creating and maintaining great apps.
Bypass Paywalls
This will come in handy for some places (Medium). Bypass Paywalls is a web browser extension that bypasses paywalls for selected sites.
WXT Next-gen Web Extension Framework
An open-source tool that makes Chrome Extension development faster than ever before.
Something I have been enjoying
Usually, it is a book or something productive. But last night, I just finished Fallout on Amazon Prime Video. What a fantastic show! As a Halo fan, this is the sort of game adaptation fans want. I am already excited for the next season. If you are stuck for something to watch to take time away from the keyboard, give this a go!
If you want some Codú swag, we will still run the Codú 6-week writing challenge for the next few months. Find out more here.
If you have any ideas or feedback, reply to this email.
Thanks, and stay awesome,
Niall
Founder @ Codú