On: Too many Frameworks and if you should use one
Web and especially JavaScript frameworks exist quite numerously, but there is also a great deal of controversy about if it's too many, who should be using a framework, who should be building one and of course the obligatory
The framework I'm using is superior to yours!discussions en masse.
I just want to give a quick overview of what I think of the matter, because many people have some good points, but my TLDR; version would be: do whatever you want, but don't tell other people what they should do.
Please read the mentioned blog posts carefully, because they're all quite good, like the one written by Joe Chasinga: Why I Don’t Use Go Web Frameworks.
Admittedly, it will feel like driving a new fast car for a while until it breaks down on you a few miles down the highway and you pop the hood to find something that’s totally unfamiliar with little resource and support than you had anticipated. Of course, you could always peek into the source code, but wouldn’t that defeat the initial purpose of using a framework?He's making the point that frameworks obscure the way something works in the programming language and that you're taking a fast route, a shortcut to dodge some learning. While it may be true that you skip some valuable lessons on the way, you should evaluate per-project if you really need to know what's going on inside an HTTP request, when you're building a funny picture site.
I understand the point of being more aware and basically learning more things if you go without a framework, but also using a framework can inspire learning and if that's what keeps you going or gets you into building something in the first place, I say it's worth pursuing.
When it comes to showing your work, in the shape of a framework, a library or something else, Adam Morse wrote a pretty encouraging and important post about the importance of just doing it: Too Tany Tools And Frameworks:
In music, art and photography there isn't much benefit to publishing your worst work. So most people keep this work hidden. But when we write code, we rarely get to hide our worst work. It's just not the way development happens in my experience. I don't think this is a bad thing. Doing things out in the open promotes progress. It gives people something to build off of and learn from. We need more of this not less.Even if something is bad, it's still worth getting it in the open, if not for the sake of overcoming your own boundaries or letting others learn from your mistakes.
When I code with other programmers, no matter if interns, co-workers or superiors nearby I point out what mistakes I make, so they're aware of something that isn't entirely obvious. Also I try out a bunch of things, I don't often attempt to create frameworks or libraries unless necessary, but I'll be less hesitant to try in the future ;)
In my opinion a much bigger problem is getting people interested in what your doing and not doing well enough.
What about you?
Do you have any examples of when it helped you big time just to publish something? Was it a blog post, a code project, a book, an instagram shot or anything else?Please let me know, I want to hear your story and thoughts about this.