Lin Clark explains what WebAssembly actually is, why it is fast, and what it means for the browser as a runtime — in her signature illustrated style.
What the Heck is the Event Loop Anyway?
Philip Roberts·2014·JSConfEUA visual, almost-cartoon walkthrough of how JavaScript actually schedules work — and the talk that taught a generation of frontend devs how their runtime really behaves.
10 Things I Regret About Node.js
Ryan Dahl·2018·JSConfEURyan Dahl revisits the design decisions he wishes he could undo in Node — and uses the postmortem to introduce Deno.
In The Loop
Jake Archibald·2018·JSConfAsiaJake Archibald walks through the browser event loop — tasks, microtasks, requestAnimationFrame, and the surprising ways the runtime interleaves your work with rendering.
Minimal API Surface Area
Sebastian Markbåge·2014·JSConfEUSebastian Markbåge argues that great libraries shrink — they teach you patterns instead of adding APIs, and they hand functionality back to the language whenever they can.
Rich Harris on frameworks, the web, and the edge
Rich Harris·2023·Svelte Society NYCHarris revisits the SPA-vs-MPA argument through the lens of edge runtimes — and pushes back on the idea that SSR-everywhere is a victory for users.
Have Single-Page Apps Ruined the Web?
Rich Harris·2021·Jamstack ConfRich Harris pushes back on the SPA-vs-MPA dichotomy and sketches transitional apps — server-rendered, JS-enhanced, and progressively interactive.