[BAWD #107] The Shapes of Software and Maintainer Month

May 21, 2023

Hello 👋🏾,

I trust you had a blissful week. So sorry; I’ve been away for some weeks now. I’m back now, and you should receive letters from me, as usual, moving forward. Thank you for always reading. Btw, here’s a friendly reminder that, unlike the Olympics, it doesn't matter which one of us comes in first; the only winning strategy is everyone crossing the finish line. Do it at your pace.

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Featured Technical Articles ✍🏾👩🏽‍💻

Thoughts About the Shapes of Software by Anthony Alaribe.
The Interactive Guide to Rendering in React by Tyler McGinnis.
Introducing Deopt Explorer by Ron Buckton.
How we work: inclusive retrospectives for the GitHub Accessibility leadership team by Mia Arts.
Compensation at Publicly Traded Tech Companies by Gergely Orosz.
Monoliths are not Dinosaurs by Werner Vogels.
Web Design 101: 100% Tappable by Aaron Gustafson.
The “const” Deception by Josh Comeau.
The ongoing defence of frontend as a full-time job by Christian Heilmann.
The Epic Stack by Kent C. Dodds.

Featured Productivity Articles ✍🏾🦅

Too Many Decisions by Farnam Street Media.
How Innovative Ideas Arise by James Clear.
The Responsibility/Fault Fallacy by Mike Manson.
A Few Lessons on Showing Up by Lawrence Yeo.
No More Advice by Zef Hemel.

Product of the Week ✨

Sustainable Dev is a series of developer resources, blog posts, and long-form case studies that help to inform the developer community and encourage action to make more sustainable websites.

Good Tidings 🔊

This month of May is Maintainer Month—a month for open-source maintainers to gather, share, and be celebrated. For maintainers, it’s a time for finding balance, stepping back, and succession planning. For companies, it’s a time to double down on funding open-source. You can look at the activities on the calendar, attend an event where you can meet other maintainers, or see other things you can do.
A lot has been going on in the CSS and UI ecosystem. Since the last Google I/O, here are 20 of the most exciting and impactful features released to browsers.
React is now offering the community an option to adopt individual new features as soon as their design is close to final before they're released in a stable version (something Meta already does, but now it’s being extended to everyone).
Netflix Engineering has a new Python team and is looking for a Python engineer to join the team. You can learn more and apply.
Here are two facts: Java is one of the most popular programming languages in the world, especially for enterprise applications, and here’s the best Java course on planet Earth currently, taught by the great Angie Jones.
“If someone’s having to read your docs, it’s not “simple.” Removing “just” and “simply” from your writing is essential for creating the best experience for your audience. Here’s why.
Here’s a curated list of interview questions for different programming languages, frameworks, and technologies.
Here is a collection of universities, companies, and organizations that offer free online courses with certificates.
Here’s a complete computer science study plan you can use to become a software engineer.
Looking to network with other student community leaders and professionals or level up your skills and give back to your community? You can join the GitHub Campus Experts program now and expand your connections!
If you’re a student (at any level), you can apply to get the GitHub Student Developer Pack and access the best developer tools, resources, and courses for FREE.
Here’s a curated list of project-based programming tutorials you can use to learn how to build applications from scratch.
Need support for your learning? Every month, you can get funding for your learning needs (internet subscription, computer device, or courses) from anonymous people who care.
Here's a recommendation of the top five websites to find remote jobs for different fields in tech.

Book Recommendations 📚

All of Grace by Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Simplified JavaScript for VIPs by Ebenezer Don.
Engineering Management for the Rest of Us by Sarah Drasner.
Building Python Web APIs with FastAPI by Abdulazeez Adeshina.
The Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt.

Featured Tweets and Videos 😍

Here are some cool tweets and some of my favorite videos from YouTube this week.

⬇️: ChatGPT boss Sam Altman questioned on AI safety in US Congress

⬇️: Dan Abramov SLAYS Frontend Interview w/ Ex-Twitch Engineer

⬇️: British Highschoolers react to Bri'ish Memes

⬇️: Look at Jesus!

Quote of the Week 💙

“The ability to focus and stay mentally tough comes with time and experience. You must learn to differentiate between what is truly important and what can be dealt with at another time. Maturity gives you the ability to prioritize.” –Mia Hamm.

Shout out to my amazing Patrons: Maya Shavin, Angie Jones, Sarah Drasner, Samson Goddy, and Obinna Odirionye.

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That's all for this letter. See you next time, and stay safe!

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