A field guide to the modern front end for developers who hand-wrote HTML
This article provides a historical overview of how web development evolved from simple HTML and PHP to the complex ecosystem of modern build tools and frameworks. It frames the current state of web development as a series of incremental solutions to specific technical problems.
Why it matters
It helps veteran developers understand the necessity and evolution of modern frontend tooling, bridging the gap between legacy and contemporary practices.
The last time you wrote a frontend, it looked like one of these —
The content is an educational technical retrospective with no political or social bias.
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