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New Facebook UI for posting is much faster. Curious to why I looked into it.
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There's a lot of UI faking (I don't mean in a bad way) where it looks like stuff is happening, but is taking much longer in the background.
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It's fascinating how as a codebase React pushes that type of behavior. It's prob the first JS library that is as much about users as devs.
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If I wanted a Ph.D I'd prob write a dissertation on how Facebook's code style and libraries enforces and codifies user-first as a philosophy
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It isn't just a tool for making better UX. Or that forms it. It is a tool that forces developers to think about UX. Few libraries do that.
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If I had to put a finger on how FB keeps beating Google it is because Facebook's code is a contract with users. Google's is engineer-first.
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React as a library is just such a fascinating window into that because it is a codebase that can and will burn your CPU to assure best UX.
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Any engineer would look at FB's network requests & say 'unnecessary'. But not if you want to be fully connected with what friends are doing.
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You won't load your friends latest avatars immediately, but gain access to all UI faster. But you can see avys update every 10 secs.
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It's why something like Temporary Avatars in Facebook is not just brilliant but something that emerges out of their code and its philosophy
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By same measure: refusal to add a cache check for URL share cards in the mobile app is something that drives me crazy as a dev, but smart.
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Mobile is slow, mobile costs users money. So if given an opportunity, halve the data involved in the process of posting a link. Duh.
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But that's a decision I could never imagine Google would make. Gotta check in on every transaction there, Towards A Perfect Code.
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I bet it isn't even a fully conscious decision on their part. This is prob one of those examples where a company culture *actually* matters.
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I hope one day Facebook open sources their platform. I bet that Code Studies people could have a field day with it.
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(by the way, this is also why Facebook will win the ad tech war if it comes down to them vs Google)