Web development
Plain-English notes on how websites get built, what the pieces do, and how to keep yours fast and sound.
Static vs. dynamic websites: which one fits your business?
Not every site needs a database humming behind it. Here's the plain-English difference, and how to tell which one your business actually needs.
What a CMS is, and whether your site needs one
A content management system lets you update your own website without calling a developer. Handy, but not every site needs the extra machinery.
TypeScript, in plain English
You'll never see it, but TypeScript is why a well-built site has fewer bugs and stays easy to change. Here's what it actually does for you.
Why we build with Node.js
Node.js runs the behind-the-scenes half of a modern website. Here's why it's a dependable pick, minus the jargon.
What Tailwind CSS means for your website
Tailwind is a behind-the-scenes tool that helps us build custom designs faster and keep them consistent. Here's the short version.
Browsers keep doing JavaScript's old chores
Chrome 150 and Safari 26.2 shipped features that build menus, popovers, and auto-sizing fields with plain HTML and CSS, no script required.
Figma Config 2026 blurs design and code
At Config 2026, Figma added timeline animation, one-click code layers, and a smarter agent, pushing design work toward full-stack creation.
CSS anchor positioning lands in every browser
With Firefox shipping it in early 2026, CSS anchor positioning now works across all major browsers, no JavaScript required.
WordPress 6.9 adds real team collaboration
WordPress 6.9 brings block-level notes, six new blocks, and a site-wide command palette aimed at teams editing together.
Next.js 16 makes Turbopack the default
Next.js 16 ships Turbopack as the standard bundler and rethinks caching, promising faster builds and clearer control over what gets cached.
Better CSS color is now safe to use
Modern CSS color functions like oklch() and color-mix() reached Baseline Widely available, meaning broad browser support.
The web was given away in 1993
On April 30, 1993, CERN put the World Wide Web into the public domain, free for anyone to use. That single decision is why the open web exists.
Safari ships a CSS function that picks readable text
Safari 26 became the first stable browser to ship contrast-color(), a CSS function that auto-selects black or white for legible text.
Responsive web design: one website, every screen
In 2010, Ethan Marcotte coined 'responsive web design.' It's why a good site now reshapes itself for a phone, tablet, or desktop instead of shipping separate ones.
CSS gets an if() function for conditional styling
Chrome 137 shipped the CSS if() function, letting developers express conditional styles inline without extra JavaScript or preprocessors.
Chrome 135 brings carousels to plain CSS
Chrome 135 shipped scroll-marker and scroll-button pseudo-elements plus shape(), letting developers build carousels without JavaScript.
JavaScript was built in about ten days
In 1995, Netscape gave Brendan Eich roughly ten days to create a language for the web. That rush job now runs on nearly every site on earth.
Vite 6 lands with a new Environment API
The build tool behind much of the modern web shipped its biggest release in years, adding a flexible new Environment API.
WordPress 6.6 is out, and it's a reminder to keep your site current
WordPress 6.6, released in July 2024, adds design tools and pattern overrides, and its arrival is a good prompt to check your update habits.
Google changed how it measures a slow site. Here's what to check
In March 2024, Google swapped FID for INP as a Core Web Vital, and by mid-2024 the old metric is being retired from measurement tools.
Two CSS features quietly made websites easier to build
The :has() selector and text-wrap balancing both reached broad browser support by early 2024, letting developers drop scripts and hand-tuning.
The most famous bug in computing was a real moth
In 1947, Grace Hopper's team found an actual moth stuck in a computer relay and taped it into the logbook. The word 'debugging' has stuck ever since.
Linux began as a student's hobby
In 1991, a Finnish student named Linus Torvalds shared a hobby project he swore wouldn't be 'big and professional.' It now runs most of the internet.
The hamburger menu is older than you think
That three-line menu icon on every phone site was designed in 1981 for the Xerox Star, decades before the smartphone made it famous.
Susan Kare drew the Macintosh, one pixel at a time
The original Mac's icons and fonts were hand-drawn on graph paper by Susan Kare in the early 1980s. Small details, enormous impact.
One idea in 1994 saved the look of the web
Before CSS, styling a website meant a tangled mess. In 1994, Hakon Wium Lie proposed separating design from content. We still use it daily.
The first .com domain was registered in 1985
On March 15, 1985, a Massachusetts computer company registered symbolics.com, the first .com ever. Today the web has hundreds of millions.
LIFT4Charity's pledge-per-pound fundraising platform is live
A custom fundraising platform where people lift weights at Koko FitClub and sponsors pledge per pound is live, with Stripe donations and an admin center built to handle the math.
Champion Finders launches a marketplace for champion bloodline puppies
A from-scratch PHP marketplace where breeders list champion-bloodline puppies and buyers browse for free is live, with subscription billing and a full admin center.
A calm new website for Moore Counseling Center
A counseling practice needed a website that felt safe before a single word was read. Here's the calm, custom WordPress site we built for Moore Counseling Center.
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