Hi there! It's Catalin emailing you. This newsletter focuses on software development, developer advocacy, technical writing, and the latest news and trends in tech. It also includes exclusive behind-the-scenes information about my experience as a developer, advocate and content creator.

Why I gave up on Twitter

... and all other social media platforms.

In the past three years, since I started being active on Twitter, I have spent a huge amount of time building an online presence. Looking back, I don't feel it was the best use of time. Of course, I can't be a hypocrite and claim it didn't help me. It's mind-blowing how many people I met on Twitter that I call friends now. Not to mention the number of opportunities I received as well.

"What's the problem then?" you might ask. If you are using Twitter (and social media platforms in general) to create content, you (should) know that you are at the mercy of the algorithm. The algorithm decides how many people you reach and when. On top of that, the algorithms change frequently. One minute you might be in favour of the algorithm, and the next, you might be out of favour. It's a constant gamble.

As a result, you spend considerable time creating content on a platform you have no control over. The platform can close your account, and you can't do anything about it (in most situations). Or it can limit your reach. You spent years creating content to have all your work gone in an instant. Then you have to start from the beginning again. So my questions are:

• Why gamble with your time?
• Why spend time creating content on platforms where you have no control over your content?

Let me know if you can find a good answer to these two questions. I couldn't find one myself.

"What should I do then?" you might ask. The answer is to diversify - don't put all your eggs in one basket. And definitely not in "a basket" like social media. If you are already on Twitter (or any social media platform) creating content, you could start a:

• Newsletter where you talk about behind-the-scenes and share exclusive content
• Blog where you expand on the topics you talk about on social media
• YouTube channel where you go in-depth about your niche

There is no one medium/solution that applies to everyone. You need to find what works for you. In my case, I (re)started this newsletter where I'll talk about behind-the-scenes information about my experience as a developer, advocate, and content creator. I'll also share content about software development, developer advocacy, technical writing, and the latest news and trends in tech.

Note: I don't want to claim that social media is not good at all and scare you. You should leverage all the tools and mediums available, including social media. The main message is not to place "all your eggs in one basket". And definitely not in "a basket" like social media.

1. Getting a dev job after 6 months of learning​

In this Reddit post, the author talks about landing a developer job after learning to code for 6 months. It's an in-depth post that covers things such as the challenges encountered, learning experience, resources, and more. Worth a read!

2. The databases of the future

Have a look at these interesting databases that might disrupt the software development in the future, as the video author says.

3. Top lessons learnt from job hunting

Joe was laid off from his job, but in 2 weeks he already had multiple offers. Moreover, he landed his dream job. In this Twitter thread, he talks about the top lessons learnt from the job hunting process.

It's a really good thread that's helpful for developers of all levels.

Joe Previte @jsjoeio Last month, I was laid off from my job. 2 weeks later, I had multiple offers to choose from and ended up landing a dream job. Here are my top lessons learned 📄 February 14th 2023 29 Retweets 290 Likes

4. Run Node.js in the browser​

The WebContainer API is publicly available for everyone! WebContainer is an operating system based on WebAssembly that enables Node.js to run entirely inside the browser. So, you are able to run web servers inside the browser. Interesting stuff!

Anyways, in the linked article, you can see the (amazing) stuff people already built with the WebContainer API, plus more information about the API.

5. One for the TypeScript and GraphQL fans​

Genql is a type-safe TypeScript client for GraphQL APIs. It allows you to write GraphQL queries with type validation and auto-completion. It comes with the following features:

• Type completion & Type validation
• No dependencies
• Easily fetch all scalar fields in a type
• Works with any client (Apollo, Relay, etc)
• Works in browser, Node, Deno, Cloudflare workers, Bun and more

6. Build stuff to get better

Many developers are stuck in the tutorial purgatory (I was too). They spend their time going from tutorial to tutorial without building stuff themselves. While tutorials are good and necessary to learn new things, you can easily fall into the trap of tutorial purgatory.

Finishing tutorials and building stuff by copying the instructor can give you a false sense of accomplishment. You think you learn a lot, but when it's time to build stuff yourself, you don't even know how to start. Been there, done that.

ThePrimeagen @ThePrimeagen its easier to learn with your hands than your eyes get out of tutorial hell and start building anything February 12th 2023 147 Retweets 1,222 Likes

As the above tweet says - start building stuff! If necessary, follow 1 or 2 tutorials, but after that start building projects. The struggle of implementing features and fixing bugs teaches you more than blindly copying the instructor.

7. A love letter to Deno​

Remember Deno? Check out this love letter.

8. Auto-generated commit messages with AI​

If you are bored of writing commit messages, you are in luck! Hassan built a CLI tool that auto-generates commit messages based on your code changes. Obivously, it uses AI to generate the messages.

Hassan El Mghari @nutlope Announcing AI Commits – a CLI tool that generates your commit message for you with AI. Available on npm today! npmjs.com/package/aicomm… pic.twitter.com/4Lcc3gQodO February 14th 2023 543 Retweets 3,607 Likes

So no more time wasted writing commit messages.

9. GitHub Copilot's crazy numbers

In the latest GitHub Copilot article, GitHub revealed some interesting findings from their research. According to the research, Copilot:

• makes developers code 55% faster
• helps developers feel more fulfilled at work
• generates 46% of all the code

These are some crazy numbers, but they don't surprise me after using Copilot. It's really an amazing tool!

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