Introducing Second: a framework for mostly-static React applications

5 Aug 2017 • 6 minute read

TL;DR

Why build this framework?

While using React to build the BBC News front page and several other mostly-static pages, a common theme emerged: only a small number of components on these pages require client-side JavaScript to function. Rendering every component in the browser does not provide an optimal experience — especially for users on low-powered devices or low-speed connections. Instead, selectively bundling components for the browser reduces bundle sizes and minimizes CPU overhead without sacrificing React’s event system and stateful components.

Second is not a large or complex framework. It is the result of combining several simple and well-tested techniques—

—and combining them into a single package that can be easily reused across multiple applications.

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Web development technologies to adopt in 2017

16 Feb 2017 • 2 minute read

I started 2016 feeling quite overwhelmed by the sheer number of new technologies that were being introduced. This year I feel like many of those technologies have matured, so I have collated a list of the ones that I think deserve your attention. My focus for the last couple of years has been on performance, so I’ve made an effort to ensure that all of the technologies mentioned are either “performance-friendly” or are directly related to performance.

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