It’s no secret that I’m resistant to learning Javascript and frontend development. I learned HTML back before CSS was even a thing, and even Javascript came long after I started doing web development. When I look at modern web development I shudder; the ecosystem is so confusing for someone who has been out of touch as long as I have. Node, webpack, yarn, npm, frameworks, UMD, AMD, arghhh!

For 15 or more years I have told myself that I can’t do frontend web work. I remember seeing a presentation from a co-worker on CSS in 2003 or so, and thinking it was just too complicated. I’ve always been the guy behind the scenes building the services that power the web, but never the one spending any time making them less ugly.

I promised here that I would document my progress learning frontend development. This isn’t a book-length treatise on the subject, but I do have a few notes about my progress.