Scaling Success: Key Insights And Practical Takeaways

The web is still a young platform, and we’re only now beginning to recognize what “success” looks like for large projects. In his recent Smashing book, [Success at Scale](https://www.smashingmagazine.com/printed-books/success-at-scale/), Addy Osmani presents practical case studies featuring the web’s most renowned companies and their efforts to make big changes to existing apps and sites. In this article, Addy shows some of the key insights he has learned.

In Praise Of The Basics

What does it mean to learn the “basics”, or fundamentals, of front-end web development? Is starting with HTML and CSS still the best entry point to learn how to make websites and apps when we have a seemingly endless supply of frameworks? Geoff Graham thinks so and discusses why you might consider going “back to basics” to start or move forward in your career.

Decision Trees For UI Components

Imagine finally resolving never-ending discussions about UI decisions for good. Here are some practical examples of decision trees for UI components and how to use them effectively. An upcoming part of [Smart Interface Design Patterns](https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com).

The Era Of Platform Primitives Is Finally Here

Application frameworks have built whole ecosystems on top of them. Let’s take a closer look at serverless platforms such as Netlify’s [Platform Primitives](https://www.netlify.com/platform/primitives) and explore how they can increase our productivity with a serverless fullstack experience.

Switching It Up With HTML’s Latest Control

After years of relying on checkbox hacks to create a “switch” control for forms that toggle between two states, HTML may be gaining a native way to go about it by adding a `switch` attribute to checkbox inputs. Daniel Yuschick walks us through a first impression of switch controls and discusses current and ongoing considerations that need to be explored further before it is ready for prime time.

Modern CSS Layouts: You Might Not Need A Framework For That

It’s easy to get lost in a sea of CSS frameworks and libraries, each promising easier styling and smoother layouts. Brecht De Ruyte demonstrates four CSS utility classes (plus a bonus) using techniques that allow them to be used practically anywhere you need a particular layout — be it Grid or Flexbox — with configurable options.