We’re just getting started.
Hello and welcome to THE SPICY WEB! I’m Jared White (@jaredwhite@indieweb.social). I’ve been a professional web developer and blogger for many years, and I’m also the creator of the progressive site generator Bridgetown. I care deeply about the open web, open source, developer happiness, minimizing complexity, and educating the next generation of creators and producers on the web.
You might want to read my manifesto here on the homepage if you haven’t already, since it explains a bit about what I’m trying to pull off.
The genesis of the “Spicy Web” name came from my thoughts on the term “JS sprinkles”. Some time ago, particularly with the release of Stimulus, I started hearing this term thrown about. Oh, you don’t need a huge JavaScript frontend framework to get anything done. Simply sprinkle some JavaScript on your HTML, like this.
But just like the term “vanilla” which doesn’t sound super-exciting, the term “sprinkles” makes me think of those rainbow-colored sugary bits you sprinkle on your vanilla ice cream. I hate to admit this, but I don’t like rainbow sprinkles or vanilla ice cream. 😅
So I started wondering what term I could use instead, and I thought of spices. Aha, now we’re talking! When cooking an exquiste entrée, you start from the basics using your core ingredients and then add spices along the way to take things to the next level.
And that’s what I’ll be teaching here. How to start building websites and applications from core ingredients and adding spices (complicated JavaScript, abstracted frameworks, ambitious build tools, etc.) only when and where they’re needed. Spices are wonderful when used in moderation, and not too many of them all at once. Just be careful you don’t let them overwhelm the main dish.
What I’m currently creating then is a growing body of courses, each called a “series”. A series will have multiple seasons over time. And each season will feature a sequence of episodes designed to take you from zero to hero. Eventually you will be able to learn all about the fundamentals of web development using the raw specifications of the open web, as well as glean insight on the various libraries and tools out there which build upon those fundamentals in prudent and respectful ways. I won’t be charging for individual courses, but instead will be offering all current and future content via an affordable monthly or yearly subscription.
I’ll also be blogging regularly here on THE SPICY WEB about the topics I’ll be covering in the courses. So even if you decide not to sign up right away for the courses as they start to become available, I hope you’ll still glean some useful insights.
Last but certainly not least, I’ve been running a Discord chat server for a while now on this very theme, and now as the official website gets off the ground, the chat’s going to start heating up in a big way. It’s free to join, but we’ll also have private channels for each course series as it launches for in-depth discussion of the material.
So please, step right on in to THE SPICY WEB community and let’s stand together for a better, brighter future of the web and the people who make it.
