The Changelog: Software Development, Open Source

The state of CSS in 2019 (Interview)

Jun 14, 2019

Sacha Greif, a JavaScript developer and creator of the State of CSS survey, dives into the evolution of CSS and the insights gained from the survey results. He discusses the challenges of conducting surveys in fast-paced communities and the importance of transparency. The conversation highlights CSS layout techniques like Flexbox and Grid, as well as the ongoing relevance of CSS floats. Sacha also explores the landscape of CSS frameworks and methodologies, shedding light on community engagement and trends shaping web design.

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ANECDOTE

Survey Origins

Sacha Greif created the State of JS survey to navigate the evolving JavaScript landscape.
He aimed to identify key trends and focus his learning efforts, addressing a common confusion within the community.

INSIGHT

Survey Authority and Criticism

The State of JS and CSS surveys hold authority due to their polished presentation and perceived authoritativeness.
This perceived authority also increases scrutiny regarding the methodologies of their data collection and representation.

ADVICE

Promoting Surveys

To promote surveys, engage influential figures with large audiences.
Leverage various platforms like blog posts and podcasts to maximize reach.

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We’re talking with Sacha Greif to discuss the State of CSS survey and results. CSS is evolving faster than ever. And, coming off the heels of their annual State of JavaScript survey, they’ve decided to take on the world of styles and selectors to help identify the latests patterns and trends in CSS.

We talk through the history and motivations of this survey, the methodology of their data collection, the tooling involved to build and run the survey, and of course we dig deep into the survey results and talk through the insights we found most interesting.

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Featuring:

Sacha Greif – Website, GitHub, X
Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Jerod Santo – GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

State of CSS survey and the results for 2019
State of JavaScript
State of JavaScript on GitHub
JS Party #54: trust.js but verify (malware, opaque surveys, and console.log debugging) and Sacha’s response “Mainly, that it wasn’t clear who exactly took the survey, how they found the survey, and whether that population sample was representative of the overall JavaScript ecosystem.”
The Changelog #91: Discover Meteor.js with Sacha Greif

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!