Story - From 486 to Vue.js: Evan You's Full-Time Gamble on Open Source
Dec 4, 2023
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Evan You, the creator of Vue.js, shares his journey from a developer solving his own problems to leading one of today's most popular web frameworks. He discusses the challenges and successes of Vue.js, including explosive user feedback at conferences and the impact of negative feedback on his motivation.
Evan Yu faced the challenge of balancing the needs of existing users with the demand for more advanced features in Vue 3.0.
Evan's personal connections with users at Vue conferences helped him stay motivated and reminded him of the impact of his work.
Deep dives
Evan's vision for Vue and the challenges faced
Evan Yu, the creator of Vue, faced challenges when introducing the Composition API for Vue 3.0. The new API upset existing users who preferred the lightweight and simple approach of Vue. However, there were also users demanding more advanced features and scalability. Evan had to listen to both user groups and find a middle ground to keep the existing users happy while offering more flexibility for complex use cases.
Evan's journey and passion for creating things
Evan's passion for creating things started at a young age, experimenting with computers and design. He pursued arts and design in college and honed his skills in the Parsons School of Design. He then discovered his love for web development, particularly HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Evan's desire to create and share his creations led him to create the HTML5 Clear app, which gained attention and even job offers from companies like Facebook.
The birth of Vue and gaining momentum
With Evan's passion and expertise in web development, he started experimenting with building his own JavaScript framework called Vue. Initially, Vue provided a lightweight and easy-to-use alternative for building semi-complex apps compared to jQuery. As user expectations for front-end frameworks evolved, so did Vue. Evan introduced new versions and features to address the changing needs of developers, which garnered positive feedback and propelled the framework's adoption.
Challenges of maintaining an open-source project
As Vue gained popularity, Evan faced the challenge of managing the expectations and feedback of a growing community. Negative comments and demands could sometimes overshadow the positive feedback. However, Evan found solace and motivation through in-person interactions at Vue conferences, where he received firsthand appreciation from users. These personal connections reminded him of the impact Vue had and the importance of his work.
From the early days of exploring creative possibilities on a 486 computer in his childhood to developing one of today's most popular web frameworks, Evan You's journey is a tale of passion and innovation. Evan started Vue.js while working at Google, just wanting to scratch his own itch for a lightweight JavaScript framework. But soon Vue started to gain a huge following.
Eventually Evan then faced a tough dilemma - should he take a leap of faith and devote himself fully to his fledgling open source project?
Hear Evan's firsthand story of that key career transition. How the explosive user feedback at Vue conferences gave him confidence. But also the challenges he faced by putting himself directly in the line of fire from unhappy users.
It's an inspiring journey - from a developer just trying to solve his own problems to the leader of one of today's most popular web frameworks. Hear the very human story behind Vue.js.