Potluck - Subscriptions × ES Modules in Node × Chicken Thigh × Being a Good Dad × Refactoring × More!

It’s another potluck! In this episode, Scott and Wes answer your questions about React subscriptions, ES Modules in Node, how to cook a chicken thigh, being a good dad and more!

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Show Notes

02:11 - What are “subscriptions” in React, or in programming in general? The React docs mention that setting up a subscription is an example of a side effect, but what exactly is a subscription, and how do you set one up?

05:43 - Using the latest node esm imports, is it possible to use aliases? Using the old require() syntax I used the npm package module-alias (https://www.npmjs.com/package/module-alias), but I cannot seem to find a solution for node v14 imports. In a deeply nested file, I find the import ‘…/…/…/some/folder’ syntax to be awful compared to require(’@/some/folder’).

09:20 - I’ve been a full-time developer for over 10 years and my company has a fairly flat hierarchy. I want to take on more responsibility (and salary) but my company doesn’t have anything like a “lead developer” position. Any ideas for how to move up without switching companies? I know my boss would be receptive if I came to him with a pitch, but we work full stack so it feels like I’m already doing it all.

12:59 - In Wes’ website episode, he mentioned using Gatsby Parallels for images. Why not git LFS?

17:25 - For Wes: Any Big Green Egg tips for beginners? I just ordered a kamado style grill and I’d appreciate any tasty tips you’ve got.

22:45 - Inline code is considered harmful because of potential XSS attacks. Lighthouse recommends inlining critical CSS to improve page speed. What do you think about this tradeoff?

26:30 - What advice would both of you have for being a first-time father, and how can I best prepare? My wife is pregnant, and we are both very excited! I want to do the best I can at being a good father. Our baby is due in January. As both of you are fathers (multiple times), I would love to hear your thoughts.

32:58 - Are present web developers merely crud bastards for corporate culture? If not, What entrepreneurial opportunities are open with Javascript and hooking up React with backend Node/Laravel and reading the Google Map docs? Of course the list isn’t exhaustive but you get my point right? Note: I’m not interested in selling courses and creating frameworks.

37:08 - Do you have any use for ES6 Generators and yield? It seems that they are a mechanism for async-await “under the hood,” so using ‘async-await’ is probably sufficient.

39:10 - With a legacy project that has old build dependencies how do you decide when to retool and fix all the npm audit issues?

46:10 - In what instances do you prefer to use rem vs em vs pixels for font size? I usually think about it like so: if I’m okay with an element’s font size being sized based on the parent, then I’ll use em. If not, then I’ll use rem. I almost never use pixels anymore except sometimes on the html element. But even then, I usually use a percentage. In practice, I’ve found it a bit hard to gauge what to expect with ems because of nesting issues. So, I’ve mostly been leaning towards rem. Though I also understand that using rems can be less modular. How do you guys make the decision?

52:49 - Hello chaps. Thank you so much for the show, I’ve learned an awful lot through listening. I’ve been dabbling in development for some time now and have taken on a project for an Express site which aside from a few static pages will include a shop with a small number of items (