[JimDabell]

> Calling this a disaster is such hyperbole.

Every time I see this, the first thing that comes into my head is to wonder how many aspiring developers took one look at this and decided that it was too difficult and that they should try something else instead. That's why I call it a disaster, and I don't think it's hyperbole.

[johnnylambada]

There are many topics that are difficult and complex, that doesn't mean they're not worth studying and understanding. Just because you take a look at this and think "wow that's too much for me to learn" doesn't mean that everybody thinks that.

[JimDabell]

I've been doing this over twenty years, I'm not concerned for myself. But if you have led less experienced developers, you'll know that their confidence levels can vary immensely. If I showed this to some of the less experienced developers I've led, they would freak out. Just because not everybody is intimidated by it, it doesn't mean it doesn't intimidate some people who would make excellent developers. This is actively harmful.

[johnnylambada]

"disaster" and "actively harmful" are hyperbole. This is a helpful document for people who want to understand what development from first principles. If that doesn't describe the people you work with that's fine, but yours is the first comment people will currently see about this article so it matters.

[JimDabell]

> If that doesn't describe the people you work with that's fine

That is not the problem. I cannot put it any blunter than this:

I have worked with good developers who, had they seen this when they were newbies, would probably not have become developers. I have worked with good developers with years of experience who, had they seen this, would have panicked and thought they were not good developers. This hurts people.

If you don't care about that, then I cannot explain it any further in such a way as to make you care. But it is not simply "oh, some people aren't interested and that's fine because others are".

[scarface74]

I’m far from a newbie developer, and every time I see something like this, I think “why bother”?

Modern front end development is a shit show and pays less than any other area of software development. I know enough HTML/CSS to build a workable internal website and I know Javascript like the back of my hand. But, given a choice between specializing on the front end and compete with “good enough” boot camp grads and specializing in backend architecture and infrastructure, I chose to do the latter.