Multi-Page Apps, Prefetch vs Preload, and Web Nostalgia

While multi-page apps (MPAs) seem like a new fixation for the developer community, they're pretty ancient news. If you were browsing the web in the 90s, you were likely visiting a multi-page app. Lucky for us, web tech improved, and made the entire experience of multi-page apps more appealing.

One of the cons of MPAs is that they don't have preload and prefetch out of the box. Single-page apps (SPAs) on the other hand give you the power to decide how your site loads by loading all the resources for your current page and fetching resources for a page you might navigate to after. This might seem small but it makes a huge impact on your site. 

The good news is, more computing power gave way to better server-rendered technology, a huge win for multi-page apps. Unlike single-page apps (SPAs), multi-page apps parse very little JavaScript. That shaves seconds off your initial load which is no small feat. 

In this episode, Chuck and Robbie discuss the pros and cons of multi-page apps, the benefits and the distinction between prefetch vs preload, and the good old days on the internet.

Key Takeaways

• [02:10] - A whiskey review - Wolves Signature Blend Special Release.
• [08:02] - Chuck and Robbie discuss multi-page apps.
• [13:46] - Advantages and disadvantages of multi-page apps.
• [27:13] - Robbie's opinion on the React Framework.  
• [35:47] - Chuck and Robbie reminisce about StumbleUpon and earlier social media sites.
• [41:52] - Chuck and Robbie discuss their parents' internet use.
• [44:30] - Chuck and Robbie talk about their weekend.

Quotes

[8:15] - "Were you around in 1998 when the Internet was first blowing up? You were also on a multi-page app. It was just served by different technologies." ~ Chuck Carpenter [https://twitter.com/CharlesWthe3rd]

[10:56] - "Just HTML is actually pretty good, and it feels like people getting into the industry these days aren't getting exposed to it enough." ~ Robbie Wagner [https://twitter.com/rwwagner90]

[29:29] - "I'm sorry for all of our Ember listeners who are here to listen to me talk about good things about Ember, but the new add-on V2 stuff is some bullshit." ~ Robbie Wagner [https://twitter.com/rwwagner90]

Links

• Wolves Whiskey [https://wolveswhiskeyca.com/]
• React [https://reactjs.org/]
• Nuxt JS [https://nuxtjs.org/]
• Java Script [https://www.javascript.com/]
• Astro [https://astro.build/]
• Twitter [https://twitter.com/?lang=en]
• StumbleUpon [https://www.stumbleupon.com/]
• Pam [https://www.pamcookingspray.com/]
• The Office [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386676/]
• GitHub [https://github.com/]
• Orbit [https://orbit.love/]
• Preact [https://preactjs.com/]
• Meta [https://about.meta.com/]
• Ember [https://emberjs.com/]
• Web Pack [https://webpack.js.org/]
• Chris Manson [https://dev.to/real_ate]
• Embroider [https://github.com/embroider-build/embroider]
• Null Vox [https://nullvoxpopuli.com/]
• Gateway [https://www.gateway.com/worldwide/]
• Digg [https://digg.com/]
• Reddit [https://www.reddit.com/]
• Tik Tok [https://www.tiktok.com/en/]
• CNet [https://www.cnet.com/]
• IRS [https://www.irs.gov/]
• Download.com [https://www.download.com/]
• Tesla [https://www.tesla.com/]

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