Hello. I am Paul Kinlan.

Custom URL schemes can enhance web app functionality by handling specific URLs, but detecting scheme support is tricky. Several methods exist, including click handlers, navigation handlers (Blink), and server-side redirects with meta refresh. While the server-side approach offers the most robust solution, it introduces complexity. A key challenge is the limited user understanding of custom schemes, leading to a preference for standard HTTPS URLs. This post explores a common pattern for custom scheme usage, involving detecting navigation failures and presenting alternative UI. The pattern addresses the issue of handling custom schemes like web+follow for Mastodon, aiming to improve user experience. While custom schemes are valuable developer tools, user preference for HTTPS URLs persists. Despite this, custom schemes empower developers to guide users to preferred apps or sites while gracefully handling cases where no suitable option exists. This approach also opens possibilities for other applications, like rebuilding web intents.

I'm heartbroken about the situation at Twitter. So many of my friends have been impacted by the changes, and I feel helpless beyond offering support and sharing job opportunities. Twitter played a huge role in my career journey, offering a place to connect with others and find my voice. It's how I made many friends and career connections, and I'm grateful for the community it fostered. I dislike the rapid changes happening now, and like many, I'm concerned about its future and how it will survive. While I haven't paid for the service, I feel a sense of debt to the platform and community for all it's given me.

I've rejoined Mastodon! Driven by the potential Twitter costs and wanting more control, I'm now self-hosting my instance for about the same price as a Twitter Blue subscription. I'll keep using Twitter for learning, but I'm excited about Mastodon's open, interoperable nature and its excellent PWA. Come find me on Mastodon!

I've created a tool called "Now Stable" using Browser Compat Data (BCD) to help developers determine when web APIs become stable across different browsers. This addresses the challenge of keeping up with browser updates and helps developers confidently choose APIs for their projects. The tool allows users to select their target browsers (e.g., Chrome, Safari, Firefox) and see a chronological list of when APIs became available across those browsers. I'm looking for feedback on how this tool can be improved and how developers would use this data.

This blog post discusses the current state of web API permissions and argues for a more restrictive "off-by-default" approach. It highlights the Principle of Least Privilege and observes that most websites don't utilize Feature Policy or Permissions Policy effectively. The author suggests that instead of asking "what should I turn off?", developers should ask "what should I enable?". The post details the different permission models, the complexity of managing numerous permissions, and the benefits of a deny-all-then-enable approach. It also acknowledges the drawbacks and the need for tooling and guidance to facilitate this shift in thinking. The author concludes by advocating for intentionality in permission management and encouraging a discussion on the topic.

HTML5Rocks, a beloved resource for web developers, is shutting down. This post reflects on the site's history, its impact, and the reasons behind its decline. Key factors include the shift away from "HTML5" as a buzzword, changing team priorities, lack of a focused content plan, and challenges with community management. Despite the shutdown, the author expresses gratitude for the experience and the connections made, highlighting the lessons learned about content creation, developer engagement, and the open-source community.

The Chrome and Web Developer Relations team is significantly expanding in 2022. Open roles span program management, Chrome extensions, CSS, rendering, DevTools, web performance, the Privacy Sandbox, and web ecosystem. The team is seeking program managers, developer relations engineers, technical writers, and infrastructure specialists to contribute to various initiatives, including Chrome Dev Summit, Google I/O, web.dev, and improving the overall web platform.

I'm so excited by the renewed interest in web development sparked by Wordle! It's a simple, fun game that highlights the power of the web. It's accessible, fast, user-friendly, and has inspired countless developers to create their own versions and variations. This post celebrates Wordle's impact, lists various Wordle-inspired projects (including different language versions, framework implementations, and even tools), and encourages readers to share their own discoveries.

I missed the trajectory of React's rise. Blinded by my focus on technical details, I failed to see the bigger picture of market demands and developer needs. I need to improve my ability to identify these trends earlier.

This blog post discusses the top challenges faced by web developers in 2021 based on a quarterly survey. The findings reveal that the top pain points remain consistent with previous years, including browser compatibility, testing, documentation, debugging, framework usage, and security/privacy concerns. The survey data highlights the difficulties developers face in keeping up with evolving web standards and the ever-expanding ecosystem of tools and frameworks. Cross-browser compatibility and testing remain significant hurdles. While initiatives like Compat 2021 aim to address these challenges, their impact is yet to be fully realized. The data consistently shows the need for improved developer tooling and a more streamlined web development experience.