When I was considerably younger, I found immense joy in tinkering with what was then considered cutting-edge web technologies. I vividly recall hand-coding my first website entirely in HTML—a time when CSS was still a novelty and JavaScript was just beginning to gain traction. Back then, creating small programs was straightforward; the standards were basic, yet elegant in their simplicity.
As the internet evolved, so did the complexity of web development. The landscape rapidly shifted from static content to dynamic applications. No longer was deploying a website a simple matter of uploading files via FTP; suddenly, we had to grapple with databases, server-side scripting, and an ever-expanding array of frameworks and tools. What was once a playground for hobbyists became a battleground for specialists.
During this period, my interests began to diversify. I became increasingly fascinated by broader fields like economics and political economy, but my passion for technology remained a valuable asset in my professional life. However, the relentless pace of change in the tech world—new languages, frameworks, and paradigms emerging seemingly overnight—became exhausting. I grew weary of the constant need to re-skill, and I found myself reluctant to embrace the latest tools for deploying infrastructure.
Why It’s Easier to Build Now
In recent years, I’ve rediscovered the joy of hobbyist tinkering, and to my surprise, it’s easier—and more enjoyable—than ever before. Several factors have contributed to this:
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AI Assistance: The advent of AI has been a game-changer, especially when it comes to learning new languages and generating code snippets. While the output sometimes requires a bit of tweaking, it’s often remarkably effective if you have a clear understanding of what you’re trying to achieve. AI-driven tools have reduced the learning curve, massively!
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Simplified Deployment: Tools like Vercel make it easy for people like me (who have no time to learn anything complicated) to deploy. What once required a deep understanding of server management and deployment pipelines is now handled with just a few clicks. It's not quite like the old days of uploading something on FTP! But it's close enough.
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Mature Frameworks: The evolution of frameworks has also played a significant role in simplifying development. I’ve become a particular fan of Next.js and Tailwind CSS, both of which strike a balance between power and usability. These frameworks are intuitive and well-documented, even for someone as unsophisticated as myself.
Keeping it light
As much as work allows, I'll continue to experiment with new technologies. I'm hopeful that coding is not dead - but just that much more accessible. If Excel can make functional programming accessible to the masses (because that's kind of what Excel functions are!), anything is possible.