11ty creator Zach Leatherman discusses taking the site generator fully independent in 2024, funding challenges for open source projects, community support, and the evolution of JavaScript runtimes. The podcast also explores the growth of managed serverless Postgres, web components for front-end development, creative projects, and the significance of authentic connections over algorithm-optimized content.
11ty creator aims for full independence by 2024, seeking community support for sustainability.
Web components are crucial for enhanced front-end development, focusing on reusability and accessibility.
Supporting independent open source projects like 11ty through financial contributions and user feedback.
Deep dives
Clerk: Simplifying Auth Solutions with Embedded UIs
Clerk provides a complete suite of embeddable UIs for user management, ideal for React or Next.js users. Inspired by polished experiences like Stripe Checkout, Clerk offers an out-of-the-box solution with a high degree of professionalism and ease of use. Users can seamlessly drop in components for a user management platform with a beautiful UI, including a user profile screen, simplifying the authentication process.
11D: Transitioning to Independence and Sustainability
11D, a static site generator known for its beginner-friendly on-ramp and build performance, is navigating changes to become fully independent and self-sustainable by 2024. Founder Zach Leatherman discusses moving away from previous patronage models and fundraising to support future development. With a focus on simplicity and gradual feature expansion, 11D aims to maintain its open-source project while considering potential product offerings.
Web Component Development and AI Impact on Tool Discoverability
Zach Leatherman emphasizes the significance of web components for front-end development, focusing on structure rather than design to enhance reusability across projects. Additionally, discussions revolve around the impact of AI tools like co-pilot on discoverability and representation of tools like 11D, highlighting the challenge of adapting to optimize search results and user experience amid evolving AI technologies.
Usage of Web Components in Website Development
Web components play a significant role in website development, offering functionalities like adding snowfall effects to websites or creating custom elements using JavaScript bundles. These components allow for flexibility in enhancing user experiences with elements like calendars or image comparison sliders. The importance of progressive enhancement strategies is emphasized to ensure that components work effectively, even without JavaScript support, promoting accessibility and improved user experiences.
Supporting Independent Open Source Creators and Projects
The podcast delves into supporting independent open source creators and projects like 11ty (11D) to ensure their sustainability and growth. Listeners are encouraged to contribute through recurring financial support on platforms like Open Collective or GitHub Sponsors to help reach funding goals for ongoing project maintenance. Additionally, the importance of experimenting with tools like 11ty and providing feedback is highlighted for community improvement and long-term project sustainability.
11ty creator Zach Leatherman is taking the open source site generator fully independent in 2024 and he’s back on the pod to tell us why, how & what we all can do to help.
Changelog++ members get a bonus 12 minutes at the end of this episode and zero ads. Join today!
Sponsors:
Clerk – Clerk is a complete suite of embeddable UIs, flexible APIs, and admin dashboards to authenticate and manage your users.
Neon – The fully managed serverless Postgres with a generous free tier. Neon separates storage and compute to offer autoscaling, branching, and bottomless storage.
Speakeasy – Production-ready, Enterprise-resilient, best-in-class SDKs crafted in minutes. Speakeasy takes care of the entire SDK workflow to save you significant time, delivering SDKs to your customers in minutes with just a few clicks! Create your first SDK for free!
