30 Years of <Br> Tags
3 days ago
- #AI-in-coding
- #web-development
- #technology-evolution
- The web development landscape has evolved significantly from the 1990s to 2025, becoming more accessible and powerful.
- Early web development was characterized by static HTML pages, manual coding, and limited tools, with learning primarily through 'View Source' and physical books.
- The introduction of PHP and MySQL lowered barriers to dynamic content, making web development more accessible and solving layout problems with includes.
- WordPress revolutionized web publishing, enabling non-technical users to create professional websites without coding knowledge.
- AJAX and Web 2.0 technologies, exemplified by Gmail and Google Maps, transformed the web into a platform for interactive applications.
- jQuery simplified JavaScript development by abstracting browser inconsistencies, becoming a dominant library for frontend development.
- The rise of frameworks like Ruby on Rails introduced structured development practices, influencing other languages and frameworks.
- Git and GitHub revolutionized version control and collaboration, making open-source contributions more accessible and normalizing code reviews.
- The advent of smartphones and responsive design addressed the challenge of mobile web access, with Bootstrap popularizing responsive layouts.
- Node.js enabled JavaScript on the server, while npm became central to JavaScript development, despite challenges like the 'left-pad' incident.
- React and component-based architecture changed frontend development, emphasizing declarative UI and state management.
- TypeScript brought static typing to JavaScript, improving developer experience and code maintainability.
- Next.js and other meta-frameworks simplified React development by handling routing, SSR, and deployment out of the box.
- Platforms like Vercel and Netlify streamlined deployment, integrating with GitHub for seamless CI/CD workflows.
- AI tools like ChatGPT and GitHub Copilot are transforming coding by assisting with boilerplate, debugging, and even generating entire features.
- The web remains a democratizing platform, with barriers to creation continually lowering, enabling more people to build and share online.