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World Congress 2021 • Jul 1, 2021

The State Of The Web

Jeremy Keith

Are heavy frameworks actually making the web worse? Discover why overcoming massive software bloat requires us to ruthlessly prioritize the end-user over developer convenience.

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#1 about 7 min

Finding perspective through the overview effect

The Apollo 8 Earthrise photograph demonstrates how a shift in vantage point alters human perspective.

#2 about 4 min

The historical origins of the World Wide Web

Early concepts of hypertext and networked computers culminated in the creation of the global hypertext system.

#3 about 2 min

Overcoming constraints in web color palettes

The transition from a limited palette of web safe colors to modern, complex color spaces allows for richer web design.

#4 about 5 min

From system fonts to variable typography

Web typography evolved from basic system fonts and image hacks to standardized variable fonts.

#5 about 5 min

Integrating media and the influence of Flash

Proprietary plugins like Flash acted as an incubator for modern web standards including scalable vector graphics and native media elements.

#6 about 4 min

Moving from fixed layouts to responsive design

The shift from layout hacks like tables to fluid design using modern layout algorithms transformed multi-device support.

#7 about 5 min

Taming browser quirks and JavaScript evolution

Standardization and libraries like jQuery smoothed over early differences in browser behavior and made DOM scripting accessible.

#8 about 2 min

Expanding web capabilities to rival native applications

The expansion of device APIs and service workers enables web applications to match native app performance.

#9 about 4 min

The negative impact of behavioral web tracking

Third-party cookies and tracking mechanisms degraded user privacy and the overall web experience in the pursuit of targeted advertising.

#10 about 5 min

Rethinking the architecture of single page web applications

Relying on heavy JavaScript frameworks to recreate native browser functionalities leads to poor performance and bloated payloads.

#11 about 2 min

Valuing user needs over developer convenience

Embracing native web capabilities prevents users from paying a performance tax for unnecessary dependency downloads.

#12 about 3 min

Defending and changing expectations of the web

Developers hold a shared responsibility to protect the capabilities of the web by building exceptional user experiences.

Matching moments

3:42 min

Remembering past challenges and early web engineering solutions

Lorenzo Pieri · World Congress 2023

1:50 min

Examining the historical evolution of web design practices

Chris Heilmann +2 · LIVE

7:03 min

The case for the web as a developmental platform

Maxim Salnikov Maxim Salnikov · JS Congress

3:37 min

Responsive layout challenges and user customization

4:25 min

Historic resilience and backward compatibility of web technologies

Ire Aderinokun · World Congress 2022

3:08 min

Introduction to building accessible web frontends

Konstantin Tieber · World Congress 2022

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Upcoming sessions on this topic

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September 24, 2026 · 10:20–10:50

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The Browser Is Becoming an AI Runtime

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World Congress 2026 North America

September 24, 2026 · 16:10–16:40

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Organizer of flutter vienna meetup and CEO of marqably

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UI/UX Architect at Payoneer | AI Architect | Full Cycle Development Expert | Public Speaker | Open Source Contributor |

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World Congress 2026 North America

September 24, 2026 · 14:50–15:20

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September 25, 2026 · 12:55–13:25

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Developer Advocate

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