create-react-app-zero VS solid

https://github.com/jsebrech/create-react-app-zero

No build frontend dev is a thing, although obscure.

Preact has a no build path in their documentation: https://preactjs.com/guide/v10/getting-started/#no-build-too...

And here’s my no build react setup: https://github.com/jsebrech/create-react-app-zero

Not really the thing you’re looking for, but for those looking for a toolless approach static web apps are a possibility. Host a folder on github pages, put an index.html file in there, start coding.

Plugging my own repo: https://github.com/jsebrech/create-react-app-zero

It is a version of create react app that works in that way, no build tools needed, only a static web server for local development.

For example, I made a version of create react app that requires zero build tools and IMHO doesn't concede too much in developer experience. To be fair, I am not using this myself professionally, but as a proof of concept I think it's pretty interesting to see what's possible. https://github.com/jsebrech/create-react-app-zero

I have been in professional web development since 2004 and I mostly agree with the author that there are massive amounts of groupthink going on. "Modern" web development has standardized in tool stacks which are insanely complicated, far beyond anything that is warranted in most cases. We have forgotten how to make simple things in simple ways.

At a minimum you need node, npm, webpack, babel, an spa framework, a frontend router, a css transpiler, a css framework, a test runner, a testing functions library, and a bunch of smaller things, and that's just what is "needed" to build a static website with a bit of interaction. We're not even talking about the dockerized insanity that happens as soon as you want to slide an API under that beast.

I understand why every piece is there, I was there when they arrived on the scene, I understand what problem they solve. What I don't understand is why as a group web developers have decided this is the only way to solve the problem of web development. What we don't have are simpler web stacks. Why do we need npm or babel at all to make a simple web frontend? Modern browsers are good enough that with the right tooling we don't need build pipelines or package managers. Similar arguments can be made for the server-side parts.

Anyway, here's my own two cents to a simpler web dev stack: a version of create react app that is entirely self-contained and has no build steps. https://github.com/jsebrech/create-react-app-zero

This doesn't support the various consumer cloud storage APIs, but you've just reminded me of a project I ran into years ago that seems to still be around: https://remotestorage.io/

There's also Solid which attempts to do something similar: https://solidproject.org/

It is surprising to me this is not talked about more. I see little to none online news, podcasts, YouTube videos or anything else where this is discussed. I only found out about it because of research I did on Tim Berners-Lee in preparation for a Career Day talk at my kids middle school. Otherwise I would have probably not known about it still today. And even after I found out and started watching YouTube videos on the topic, YouTube won't even suggest any related videos about it even after already watching multiple videos on the subject (Web 3.0, Solid Project, Decentralized Web...etc).. is Big Tech trying to keep the web from evolving into what Sir Tim Berners-Lee is proposing?

It's only an unreasonable amount of work if you assume that the user is managing a separate storage backend for each library. If you take the Tim Berners-Lee approach (re: https://solidproject.org/) then each user is only managing one storage backend: the one that stores their data. The marginal cost of hooking in one more library low.

We just have to get a little more fed up with all of these services and then the initial cost of setting it up in the first place will be worth it. Any day now...

Solid is a web native protocol to enable interoperable, read-write, collaborative, and decentralized web, truer to web's original vision.

Manas project(https://github.com/manomayam/manas/tree/main) aims to create a modular framework and ecosystem to create correct, robust storage servers adhering to Solid protocol in rust.

[Solid](https://solidproject.org/) is a web native protocol to enable interoperable, read-write, collaborative, and decentralized web, truer to web's original vision.

    Solid adds to existing Web standards to realise a space where individuals can maintain their autonomy, control their data and privacy, and choose applications and services to fulfil their needs.

You're describing Solid, not the Semantic Web. Granted, Solid uses Semantic technologies to achieve it. https://solidproject.org/

Tim Berners-Lee's Solid project is working on that. Put data in "pods" that are stored on pod servers, which are federated. You can self-host.

It could be a federated layer of identity & personal content decoupled from social platforms.

https://solidproject.org/

Check out https://solidproject.org (If you want a short intro I recently gave a ~30min talk about it: https://noeldemartin.com/fosdem)