Changelog Master Feed Rails is having a moment (again) (Changelog Interviews #615)
Oct 31, 2024
David Heinemeier Hansson, the creator of Ruby on Rails and co-owner of 37signals, shares his insights on the current resurgence of Rails. He critiques the overwhelming JavaScript frameworks while advocating for a simpler, no-build approach. The conversation dives into the upcoming features of Rails 8 and the advantages of a unified framework. DHH also discusses the complexities of open-source governance and the importance of developer joy in the evolving tech landscape. A spirited mix of opinions and trends shapes this refreshing dialogue!
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Rails' Renewed Clear Direction
- Rails 7 marked a turnaround, and Rails 8 doubles down on this new direction that emphasizes clear standing and developer joy.
- Developers fatigued by complex JavaScript ecosystems are increasingly drawn to Rails' renewed simplicity and consistent philosophy.
The JavaScript Soup Problem
- The "JavaScript soup" describes the overly complex build systems with many dependencies that frustrate developers.
- Avoiding heavy build pipelines like Webpack can restore simpler, more joyful JavaScript development experiences.
Advocate #NoBuild for Simplicity
- Embrace #no-build approaches by shipping JavaScript directly to browsers without transpilation or bundling.
- Optimize caching and delivery with many small files and HTTP2 to enhance user performance without complex tooling.