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Saloni Yadav
Saloni Yadav

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Why it's important to strengthen core HTML/CSS and Vanilla JS before frameworks.

If you have been following my posts, you would know that I am not a full-time blogger who has any fixed agenda or timeline for her content. I write what I experiment. And I write to document my learnings on-the-fly, hoping it will help others who seek similar goals! So, the next question arises...

In this era of powerful frameworks, why am I spending time on vanilla JS, HTML and CSS. Long answer short-

1- While frameworks were busy keeping us away from our roots, the HTML5+CSS3+Vanilla JS combo have grown so powerful that it's mind-blowing how much catching-up we have to do.

2- While the frameworks raging through the industry change with a blink, these roots will be our only constants and our forever companions.

3- God forbid, but if ever these open-source frameworks start licensing themselves, companies will start relying on their home-grown frameworks (already many "big fishes" like Facebook, Oracle... prefer this over third-party- they want their revenue to stay indoors). This is when people with strong fundamentals will prove to be an irreplaceable asset!

4- Every framework has its own set of limitations (no one's perfect). And, if you want to design a webpage out of the imagination of these framework developers, you have to rely on your own strength to create from scratch!

I absolutely realise how controversial all points presented above could be! And that's why it's open for a friendly discussion.

Again, I am not against frameworks. I am just against all the newbies jumping directly into the frameworks without knowing their roots. They end up thinking that certain features are specific to their frameworks while all the time it's offered by Vanilla JS and the framework is only gift-wrap around it. I have been there, and I don't want the newcomers to be in the same delusion.

Any thoughts?

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