The Franconian
Coder Studio

In my years in the software industry, I’ve met many talented individuals, but the ones who stand out share a common trait: pragmatism. They’ve seen it all, learned from experience, and aren’t afraid to break the rules when necessary. Instead of pushing rigid opinions, they help others find their own solutions, offering guidance and alternatives without imposing dogma. In this article, I’ll discuss why individuality and flexibility are crucial for solving problems, fostering growth, and navigating the ever-changing landscape of software development.

Over the past 30 years, I’ve seen programming languages evolve from niche tools for enthusiasts to mainstream technologies driven by speed and convenience. While I still love Go for its simplicity and tooling, and C for its control and transparency, the rise of Rust and Zig has introduced new contenders. Rust, with its growing ecosystem and adoption in major systems, is often hailed as the ultimate language. Zig, on the other hand, offers minimalism and a powerful compiler. In this article, I’ll share my thoughts on these languages, the challenges of modern programming culture, and why I continue to value the classics like Go and C.

When working with web standards, it’s easy to assume that developer experience (DX) will suffer without the conveniences of large frameworks. In a recent internal project, I decided to forgo frameworks entirely, using Lit with JavaScript. While this approach eliminated the need for a build environment, it introduced challenges like repetitive HTML templating and the need for a bundler. Enter Astro—a tool that not only provides excellent HTML templating but also a robust build environment for JavaScript and CSS. In this article, I’ll share how combining Astro and Lit has improved my productivity and why modern web standards, paired with the right tools, can rival the DX of large frameworks.

After realizing that PWAs couldn’t fully meet my mobile project’s needs, I turned to WebView as a solution. Unlike hybrid frameworks, which often come with unnecessary overhead, WebView allows me to integrate my web application directly into a native mobile project. This approach gives me the flexibility to decide how much logic runs in the web environment versus the native one, all while maintaining a lightweight architecture. In this article, I’ll share how WebView has become my go-to solution for bridging web and native development, offering the best of both worlds without the complexity of hybrid frameworks.

As a strong advocate for web technologies, I’ve seen firsthand the potential of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs). However, the growing emphasis on using ‘pure’ web standards, often at the expense of frameworks, can be limiting. While standards provide a solid foundation, frameworks offer flexibility and efficiency that shouldn’t be dismissed. In my own work, I’ve hit the limits of web standards, particularly with native file system access and background processing on mobile devices. In this article, I’ll discuss why a balanced approach—embracing both standards and frameworks—is crucial for innovation and why rigid opinions can hinder progress in web development.