Remembering what you learned
A developer shares personal struggles with learning JavaScript, Node.js, and Express, and how overcoming self-doubt was key to success.
Zell Liew is a front-end developer, writer, and creator known for deep, practical explorations of CSS, JavaScript, accessibility, and modern web tooling. His work blends thoughtful technical guidance with personal reflections on life, work, and growth, and is frequently featured on CSS-Tricks and Splendid Labz.
353 articles from this blog
A developer shares personal struggles with learning JavaScript, Node.js, and Express, and how overcoming self-doubt was key to success.
A guide explaining the 'this' keyword in JavaScript, covering its behavior in six different contexts like global scope, object methods, and arrow functions.
Explains JavaScript Promises, their analogy to real-life promises, and how to use .then and .catch for async operations.
Explains JavaScript callbacks: what they are, why they're important, and how to use them with practical examples.
A guide to setting up a JavaScript development environment, covering syntax highlighting, code editors, and theme installation to improve learning efficiency.
A guide to eight essential ES6 features for JavaScript developers, including let/const, arrow functions, and destructuring.
A guide to manipulating the Document Object Model (DOM) using vanilla JavaScript, covering element selection, event listeners, and dynamic content changes.
A CSS developer discusses when and why to break established coding rules and best practices, using BEM and CSS grids as examples.
Explores CSS file structure best practices, comparing traditional type-based organization with component-based approaches for modular projects.
Explains why BEM alone isn't enough for scalable CSS and introduces a namespace system to create a more robust, side-effect-free architecture.
An introduction to writing modular, maintainable CSS using the BEM methodology, focusing on architecture and best practices.
A framework to help developers decide whether to learn a new tech tool, using examples like Webpack, PostCSS, and React.
A web developer shares personal strategies for overcoming decision paralysis in design, coding, and content creation.
A developer shares a four-phase technique for speed reading and retention, explaining why reading skills are crucial for tech professionals.
A tutorial on building a custom responsive grid system for web design, covering design considerations, breakpoints, and CSS vs. HTML grid approaches.
A deep dive into designing web layout grids, covering column sizing, responsiveness, and choosing between equal or unequal widths.
A critique of the common developer advice 'Don't reinvent the wheel,' exploring its psychological impact and arguing for the value of building from scratch.
A developer reflects on the pressure to learn coding quickly, arguing that focusing on deep understanding is more important than speed.
Explains why resetting Susy's span/gallery mixins is wrong and provides better solutions for responsive grid layouts.
A guide on how to ask clear, specific, and well-researched coding questions to get faster and better answers from experts.