Should web development need a build step?

JS Party: JavaScript, CSS, Web Development

We’re back with another spicy YepNope debate! This time, Nick & regular guest Eric Clemmons are arguing that web development should need a build step, while KBall & special guest Amy Dutton argue that we really shouldn’t. Of course, the stance each panelist is taking is assigned ahead of time. Is that how they really feel? Tune in to find out!

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Sponsors:

• Clerk – Clerk is a complete suite of embeddable UIs, flexible APIs, and admin dashboards to authenticate and manage your users.
• CrabNebula Cloud – Join Tauri’s “DevTools Premium” waitlist — If you’re building with Tauri, this might be the best news you hear all week! DevTools Premium is right around the corner. It’s not just about finding and fixing issues; it’s about understanding, optimizing, and perfecting the application development process. Join the waitlist today!

Featuring:

• Amy Dutton – GitHub, X
• Kevin Ball – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, X
• Eric Clemmons – GitHub, X
• Nick Nisi – Website, GitHub, Mastodon, X
• Jerod Santo – GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!

บท

1. It's party time, y'all (00:00:00)

2. Sponsor: Clerk (00:00:39)

https://clerk.com

3. Hello party people! (00:03:58)

4. The premise (00:06:00)

5. Amy's opener (00:06:50)

6. Eric's opener (00:07:53)

7. KBall's opener (00:08:53)

8. Nick's opener (00:10:09)

9. Amy's rebuttal (00:11:45)

10. Eric's rebuttal (00:13:04)

11. KBall's rebuttal (00:14:01)

12. Eric's final argument (00:16:11)

13. Amy's final argument (00:17:47)

14. And the winner is... (00:18:38)

15. Sponsor: CrabNebula Cloud (00:19:48)

https://crabnebula.dev/devtools/

16. KBall's real opinion (00:22:38)

17. Eric's real opinion (00:25:17)

18. Nick's real opinion (00:28:03)

19. Amy's real opinion (00:31:12)

20. Jerod's real opinion (00:32:03)

21. All we need is love (00:33:26)

22. A SPA era phenomenon? (00:33:55)

23. 13MB React app woes (00:35:55)

24. Define "pushing to the left" (00:37:00)

25. PHP is better than... (00:38:43)

26. Obligatory AI chapter (00:41:40)

27. Pimp My Sidebar (00:42:16)

28. The no-build gap vs aspirations (00:43:41)

29. Shifting left of the platform (00:47:24)

30. Defining system boundaries (00:51:25)

31. Defining system responsibility (00:54:13)

32. Relying on the tools (00:56:18)

33. Thinking about HTTP (00:57:05)

34. Broadening our horizons (01:01:20)

35. FInal thoughts (01:02:57)

36. Closing time (01:03:59)

37. Outro (join ++!) (01:04:59)

https://changelog.com/++