@vale@fedi.vale.rocks cover
@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar

vale

@[email protected]

Front-end developer, designer, writer, and avid user of the superpowered information superhighway.

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@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

In light of the Discord verification stuff, Stoat is going wild currently!

To catch everyone up:

  • Voice chat 2.0 is here
  • We rebranded from Revolt in Oct
  • Screenshare is very far along
  • E2EE is planned
  • Fresher branding very soon
  • The platform is in active development
  • Clients are being improved
  • We put you first, but must still comply with laws where applicable

https://stoat.chat

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

Carefully cutting down my JavaScript, optimising my CSS, minimising my HTML, configuring preloads, tweaking caching, and manually shrinking images to hit a good balance of size and compression, then opening a new tab to be hit by a megacorp's 40MB hero video.

vale OP ,
@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar
@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

I love when websites with completely static content crash.

Congrats! Instead of making a static site, you made a static dynamic site. None of the benefits of a static site but all of the downsides of a dynamic site. What's the point?

I really just can't understand the mindset.

Someone commented on how snappy TechConf.Directory is. That's due to the site just being HTML/CSS/JS/JSON generated at build time. No client-side third-party dependencies.

Even on the development side, the only dependency is Web Origami, which is just used for populating templates and manipulating data.

vale OP ,
@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar

Once again, the winning formula is to bet on the web platform and not needlessly overcomplicate things.

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

I've decided that, henceforth, I shall no longer go by the title of 'front-end developer', but instead by the traditional title, 'webmaster'.

Please update all bylines and attributions appropriately.

@louie@pdx.social avatar louie , to random

PSA: Registering trademarks or copyright does not “prevent” anything from happening; they only provide a path for legal remedies when things happen.

This is not to dissuade anyone from attempting to protect their works, but more to provide reasonable expectations for what “protection” actually looks like. (You will still have to enforce it yourself.)

vale ,
@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar

@louie I'd argue they are preventative in a psychological sense and as a slight legal warning, but certainly not as a surefire protection.

vale ,
@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar

@louie I would have to disagree with you there. Even when working with material that is public domain, I have clients who get cold feet or who point to ©, ™, or ® somewhere in proximity.

I'm speaking anecdotally, of course, but I'd suggest there are a significant number of less-informed people who might be inclined to infringe but are scared off by notice of registration.

It certainly doesn't have an impact on everyone, but I also don't think no one* is influenced by them.

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

Living in the world's most isolated city, looking at front-end conference prices, plus the price for several connecting flights spanning multiple days of travel, plus accommodation and expenses…

Yikes.

I think the only way it'd be viable is if I can string a few together and attend a few at once.

I don't suppose anyone has collated a list of good front-end or web conferences worth attending somewhere? Ideally with information such as dates and ticket prices.

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

Growing increasingly frustrated as I attempt in vain to explain how one can modify the browser chrome of a browser that isn't Chrome to look like chrome. That is, to change the chrome of a non-Chrome browser to look like chrome, without making it look like Chrome.

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

Can't wait till one of those accessibility overlay providers decides to pivot to eugenics in their ever continuing effort to 'fix' accessibility without actually helping disabled people.

@louie@pdx.social avatar louie , (edited ) to random

Do you feel like you’ve watched more movies or fewer movies than the average person?

vale ,
@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar

@louie I'm 19, and based on all my logs going back years, I've watched 235 films. Assuming that I missed a few films I watched as a child, I'll bump this up to 300. I've watched many films several times though. Watching ~5K films in one's lifetime seems like a reasonable estimate, so I'm lagging behind based on what I'd expect of the average person.

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

It all went awry when we got rid of wizards in our setups.

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

I'm disappointed that I have to repost this. Please consider your actions.

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

Australia's Bureau of Meteorology got a new website recently which was initially announced to have cost $4.1 million AUD, but it came out yesterday that it in fact cost $96.5 million AUD!

$96.5 million AUD for a weather site redesign!

Here is the new site in question: https://www.bom.gov.au

You can check out the old site here: https://reg.bom.gov.au

Article from the ABC discussing the widely hated new site: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-23/bureau-of-meteorology-new-website-cost-blowout-to-96-million/106042202

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

Tech recruiters:

A man gesturing to a butterfly labelled 'Front-end Developer' with the caption 'Is this full-stack?
ALT
@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

Something I observed while manually reviewing every single site on personalsit.es:

Websites built with Next.js very rarely have RSS feeds.

Websites built with React sometimes have RSS feeds.

Completely static sites almost always have RSS feeds.

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

The chat platform Stoat already has a wordmark, but no logo. Here are some of the concept logo designs I put together.

A slightly more complex 3D perspective stylised vector stoat illustration with the text 'STOAT' on a purple-to-black gradient.

The text 'STOAT' with a very simple stylised vector stoat illustration on a purple-to-black gradient.
ALT
@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

Oh, making an accessible website is too complex for you to bother? Sounds like you aren't very good at your job then, eh?

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

True horror is having to start a writing session with this incantation:

:setlocal spell spelllang=en_us

@louie@pdx.social avatar louie , to random

I don’t care how bad you think you are at HTML (and CSS). A website that you wrote the HTML yourself is infinitely better than any template-based website you pulled from somewhere else.

If you think it’s going to be too much work, I promise you, fiddling with a template-based solution is going to—somehow—be more work, especially to maintain as the framework, template, or font changes without you knowing.

Write it yourself. One of my all-time favorite websites is this: https://vitalesbakery.com

vale ,
@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar

@louie That bakery website is fantastic. What info would you need? Location, opening hours, contact info, and perhaps a picture. What info does it have? Exactly that and nothing else to get in your way.

@louie@pdx.social avatar louie , to random

You’d think I’m joking but I really just want to build a web browser. Every developer is frightened to hear this. Everyone expects it to be so much work. But I don’t think it has to be.

I bet if a developer partnered with me to make it, we’d make a really good one with very little effort compared to what others might put into such a project to worse results.

vale ,
@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar

@louie What would the point of difference be in your ideal browser?

vale ,
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@louie While every browser seems to be getting more complex, that certainly sounds interesting.

What browser do you think you'd base off?

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to Firefox

In the same vein as Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, I propose some renamings:

  • Safari Surfer
  • Chromium Cruiser
  • Firefox Forager
  • Edge Envoy
  • Vivaldi Voyager

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

Someone attempted a rather poor extortion of @revoltchat

I should add "hostage negotiator" to my resume.

Deets written up by yours truly here:
https://wiki.revolt.chat/notes/transparency/incidents/2025-05-08-attempted-extortion/

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to random

I was on @BrodieOnLinux 's Tech Over Tea podcast.

'Twas a pleasure coming on. Go give it a watch!

https://mstdn.social/@BrodieOnLinux/114282141814437148

@vale@fedi.vale.rocks avatar vale , to Framework Laptop Community

Reflecting on my Year with the Framework Laptop 13

framework@lemmy.ml icon Framework Laptop Community

I've been loving this laptop. Hope you enjoy the review!

https://vale.rocks/posts/a-year-with-the-framework-laptop-13