Web Witch Weekly

Issue 10: Dabbling in No Code Tools

August 21, 2023

Summer seems to be slipping away despite my best efforts to hold on tight. I can feel autumn in the wind and even though I am not ready for colder nights and short days, I find myself dreaming of the crisp autumn air, pumpkins and sweaters. And then I snap out of it and enjoy the warmth outside. No I am not ready.

I also wanted to share a note on this newsletter, as I write and see what people engage with the most, I’ll adjust the content so that you’re getting something in your inbox you want to read.

No Code Development

I signed up bubble.io after wanting to see what was possible with no code development beyond building a website. I managed to create a proof of concept for an AI app. I watched a 10 minute YouTube video and at first glance it seemed fairly straight forward but took two hours of mostly debugging the options for setting things up in the bubble UI.

No code doesn’t necessarily mean able to build without coding knowledge and might even be slower than just using code.

I’m pleased that I got things working though and have the most basic working proof. I’ll plan to do a writeup when I have a bit more time.

Career Things

I’m starting to think about conferences next year and talks focusing on the intersection of design and code. I had been hoping to maybe do some smaller events this autumn but based on when I’ll be applying for a UK Visa (and won’t have a passport), it’s going to be a bit too up in the air.

I’m doing design and product consulting work, If you’re in need of design work, a design and/or UX audit of your website, or product strategy work feel free to get in touch. I’m booking out beyond September at this time.

Jhey and I are in the process of building a new resource for CSS. CSS Tricks was such a vital source of information for people and to lose that resource is incredibly sad. We’re wanting to keep the community involved as much as possible. Stay tuned for news. I’ll share more here as we progress.

I received my copies of my book and I must say how exciting it feels to finally hold it in my hands!

Book links: Manning | Amazon (even adding it to your wishlist helps bump up visibility)

On the Web

Check to see if your PWA qualifies for a free developer account for the Microsoft Store on Windows. Start here with the PWA Builder blog post.

CHM: Art of Code Program - the Computer History Museum has been releasing historic code from Adobe and Apple, and celebrating the magic of technology this year.

“Why Does Email Development Have to Suck?” - Perhaps we should reduce our expectations when it comes to email development/

“What Does It Mean for Web Browsers to Have a Baseline?” - An overview of the new project Baseline that helps developers learn what they can rely on in the web platform.

“Coding Randomized Zelda Patterns” - Coding and Zelda, two of my favorite things collide.

Reading

The Last Sunset in the West - I’ve paused reading as it’s been a far more emotional read for me than I was expecting especially with the news that Tokitae (also known as Lolita) passed away in captivity in Miami. The Orca Network has a tribute to her on their home page.

Have a lovely week!

The Web Witch (Stephanie)