Dispatches From The Internets

ally.js

A JavaScript library that “provides certain standard functions the ‘web platform’ should’ve provided itself, so JavaScript applications can be made accessible more easily.”

Seriously, Don’t Use Icon Fonts

An excellent overview of why you shouldn’t be using icon fonts and should be using SVG instead. In short: Don’t be Table Guy.

Speeding Things Up with Service Worker, Resource Hints, and More

User experience encompasses more than just the interface. Download speed, render performance, and the cost of accessing a site are often overlooked areas when it comes to the practice of UX, but they all affect how users experience what we build on the Web.

PSA: Don’t Use Gradient Generators!

Did you know most of the CSS gradient generation tools out there are highly inefficient? This post from Ana Tudor fills you in on why and makes some excellent recommendations for slimming down your CSS.

X-Tag

If you follow web components, you’ve no doubt heard of Polymer. It’s the most popular library, but the 2nd most popular is X-Tag. The project was founded at Mozilla and is backed by Microsoft too. It’s standards-based, lightweight, has a generous support matrix, and plays well with other libraries. If you’re into web components, you should check it out.

Peering Into The Minds Of The 4.3 Billion Unconnected

This article touches on many of the issues we will struggle with as more of the world’s population comes online. The biggest one (in my mind at least) is low/no literacy. I am hopeful that voice-based interactions (e.g. Siri, Cortana, Echo) will help with that.