Howsit FEDSA Fam!
When you scroll down, you might notice that we’ve given the newsletter a bit of a facelift. You know how it’s become normal for brands to remove a drop shadow from their logo and call it a rebrand? Let’s just say we did that!
And if you’re one of our new subscribers who only opened this to see if you won the 3D printer... well, please pretend to be impressed by what we just unveiled. We worked very hard on moving things 3px to the left.
Jokes aside, it’s a slightly fresher look, with a new section or two, but we’re still the same community of wonderfully curious people trying to build better things on the internet, so none of us has to read the comments under Helen Zille’s Joburg videos.
Our Open Browser Tabs
Animation Performance: JS vs CSS
Josh Comeau is back for the second newsletter in a row, and this time he's tackling an often-debated topic in frontend development: JS vs CSS animations.
The debate is more nuanced than most developers think. Conventional wisdom says CSS is always faster, but Josh digs into the real differences between JavaScript animation libraries and CSS transitions, challenging some long-held assumptions about performance.
Read all about it here.
AI is Not the Future of Software Development
In a sharp and wide-ranging essay, Pavel Samsonov argues that AI is not a new dawn for the tech industry but the final expression of a decades-old failure: building careers and business models around solving problems that were invented in the first place.
Using Google's shift away from the classic "10 blue links" search experience as a jumping-off point, Samsonov traces a long-running tension in tech between those who wanted to genuinely solve user problems and those who found it more profitable to manufacture new ones. AI, he argues, is the ultimate tool for the latter camp. It produces slop, creates complexity, and then sells you the fix.
The essay is a provocation worth sitting with, especially for anyone working at the intersection of design, product, and technology.
Read it here.
Another day, another npm exploit
In May 2026, an attacker published 84 malicious versions across 42 Tanstack npm packages. When installed, the malicious package silently harvests cloud credentials, tokens, and SSH keys from the developer's environment, exfiltrates them via an encrypted messenger network, and then self-propagates by injecting itself into other packages the victim maintains on npm.
The incident highlighted ongoing risks in the open-source supply chain, where attackers exploit the trust developers place in popular libraries. TanStack's popularity across the React ecosystem made it an obvious target, and it is a good reminder that npm's open publishing model continues to be a weak point, especially as supply chain attacks have been ramping up in frequency.
The post-mortem on the incident is in, and you can read it here.
Congratulations to Sam from Gqeberha!
Enjoy your 3D printer and send us some pics of how your first print comes out!
Everyone showed up in all their glory. Unfortunately, there is only 1 lucky winner 🏆
A HUGE shoutout to Khanyisa Real Systems (KRS) for sponsoring the lekker 3D printer
Brought to you in partnership with Khanyisa Real Systems
Transitioning to Modern Standards with SPAs
One of the most exciting challenges in modern UX legacy software is transitioning an outdated product into a Single Page App (SPA). Compared to the desktop programmes of yore, responsive web apps support a rich, dynamic user interface that delivers a far superior user experience.
Upgrading a legacy UX to a modern interface is like renovating a beloved old home. You want to preserve what works, fix what doesn’t, and create something that feels fresh without confusing long-time users.
Continue reading here.
EVENTS
Mental Health in Tech
Staying human when tech feels less human
There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from working in tech while feeling increasingly unsure about where the industry is heading. It shows up in the pressure to keep up with AI, the awkwardness of having to defend accessibility or ethical choices, uncertainty about jobs, and a strange feeling that the web, once playful, open, and human, is being turned into something faster, flatter, and more extractive.
What helps, maybe, is remembering that agency does not mean fixing the whole system. Maybe it looks like asking the uncomfortable question in a meeting, finding the people who still care about the work behind the work, joining a community, or deliberately making space for something offline that reminds you who you are outside of productivity. None of that makes the bigger problems disappear, but it can make them feel less isolating, and that matters.
If this resonated with you, consider listening to the full Mental Health in Tech where the conversation goes deeper into the role of creativity, community, and how small rituals of play can help during difficult periods in tech work.
Job Opportunities
Founding Technical Lead
Rewear Closet is building a new kind of fashion-tech platform,one that helps people manage and extend the life of their clothing, rather than buy more. They are looking for a Founding Technical Lead to take this from idea to reality. Apply here.Frontend Web Developer - Mr D (Takealot)
Join the web development team at Mr D, responsible for maintaining and developing multiple production applications using modern Angular and SvelteKit. Apply here.Frontend Creator (“Vibe Coder”) & Social Media Lead
Rewear Closet is looking for a creative, internet-native builder. This is not a traditional dev role and not a typical social media role; it’s a mix of both. You’ll help create a brand and product experience that feels calm, intentional, and different from fast-fashion culture. Apply here.Senior Frontend Developer - Stock2Shop
Stock2Shop.com is a cloud-based eCommerce software technology firm that helps wholesalers, distributors, and retailers to manage their products online. Apply here.Intermediate UI Developer - Clickatell
Clickatell, founded in Cape Town in 2000, was the first company to connect businesses with consumers via SMS using just four lines of code. Apply here.
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