devtools.fm: Developer Tools, Open Source, Software Development Adam Argyle - nerdy.dev - Modern CSS
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Aug 25, 2025 Adam Argyle, a designer and developer recognized for his role in VisBug and work with the CSS Working Group, shares fascinating insights about modern CSS. He discusses the evolution of CSS units, including container queries, and delves into the importance of user-centered design tools. Adam reveals the intricacies of creating custom scroll bars and optimizing web performance with React. The conversation also explores the future of CSS, including the potential impact of AI on web development, promising an exciting glimpse into the industry's trajectory.
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Building VisBug To Empower Designers
- Adam built VisBug to let designers tweak production pages without diving into DevTools' complexity.
- It became popular organically and now has ~200k monthly active users built on web components.
DevTools' Hidden Complexity
- DevTools is a massive, vanilla-JavaScript application maintained by a small, expert team balancing state complexity.
- Integrating designer-focused tools into DevTools can create an IDE-like designer-developer workflow.
A Prototype That Vanished Overnight
- Adam pitched embedding VisBug into DevTools; a DevTools engineer prototyped it overnight but left the project the next day.
- The integration never shipped despite a working panel-to-panel prototype.