They’re out! Like a lot of you, I stay up for these popping out every year. I don’t put a lot inventory in surveys however they are often insightful and provides a snapshot of the CSS zeitgeist. There are just a few little nuggets on this 12 months’s outcomes that I discover fascinating. However earlier than I get there, you’ll wish to additionally try what others have already written about it.
Oh, I assume that’s it — no less than it’s probably the most formal write-up I’ve seen. There’s somewhat abstract by Ahmad Shadeed on the finish of the survey that usually rounds issues up. I’ll drop in additional hyperlinks as I discover ’em.
In no specific order…
Demographics
Josh has far more poignant ideas on this than I do. He rightfully calls out discrepancies in gender pay and regional pay, the place males are far more compensated than ladies (a nonsensical and frustratingly endless development) and america boasts extra $100,000 salaries than anyplace else. The international locations with the best salaries had been additionally probably the most represented in survey responses, so maybe the outcomes are not any shock. We’re basically a snapshot of what it’s wish to be a wealthy, white male developer within the West.
In addition to pay, my eye caught the Age Group demographics. As an getting older front-ender, I typically marvel what all of us do once we lastly get to retirement age. I formally dropped from probably the most represented age group (30-39, 42%) just a few years in the past into the third most represented tier (40-49, 21%). Lengthy gone are my days being with the cool youngsters (20-29, 27%).
And if the distribution is true to life, I’m using quick into my sundown years and shall be solely barely extra represented than these moving into the career. I don’t know if anybody else feels equally anxious about getting older on this trade — however in case you’re one of many 484 people who determine with the 50+ age group, I’d love to speak with you.
Earlier than we plow forward, I believe it’s value calling out how comparatively “new” most individuals are to front-end growth.
Wow! Forty-freaking-four % of respondents have lower than 10 years of expertise. Sure, 10 years is a excessive threshold, however we’re nonetheless speaking a few career that popped up in current reminiscence.
For perspective, somebody creating for 10 years got here to the sector round 2014. That’s simply once we had been getting Flexbox, and a number of other years after the massive bang of CSS 3 and HTML 5. That’s slightly below half of builders who by no means needed to take care of the complications of desk layouts, clearfix hacks, picture sprites, spacer photos, and rasterized rounded corners. Ethan Marcotte’s seminal article on “Responsive Net Design” predates these people by a whopping 4 years!
That’s simply wild. And thrilling. I’m a agency believer in the subsequent technology of front-enders however at all times hope that they study from our previous errors and develop into masters on the fundamentals.
Options
I’m not solely certain what to make of this part. When there are such a lot of CSS options, how do you establish that are most generally used? How do you pare it down to only 50 options? Like, are filter results actually probably the most extensively used CSS characteristic? So many questions, however the outcomes are at all times fascinating nonetheless.
What I discover most fascinating are the underused options. For instance, hanging-punctuation is available in lifeless final in utilization (1.57%) however is the characteristic that almost all builders (52%) have on their studying checklist. (For those who want some studying materials on it, Chris initially printed the Almanac entry for hanging-punctuation again in 2013.)
I additionally see Anchor Positioning on the finish of the lengthy tail with reported utilization at 4.8%. That’ll go up for certain now that we now have no less than one supporting browser engine (Chromium) but additionally given the entire tutorials which have sprung up up to now few months. Sure, we’ve contributed to that noise… nevertheless it’s good noise! I believe Juan printed what is perhaps probably the most thorough and considerate information on the subject but.
I’m excited to see Cascade Layers falling smack dab in the course of the pack at a reasonably sturdy 18.7%. Cascade Layers are tremendous approachable and elegantly designed that I’ve bother believing anyone lately after they say that the CSS Cascade is troublesome to handle. And although @scope is presently low on the checklist (4.8%, similar as Anchor Positioning), I’d guess the crumpled gum wrapper in my pocket that the general sentiment of working with the Cascade will enhance dramatically. We’ll nonetheless see “CSS is Superior” memes galore, however they’ll be extra like previous acquainted dad jokes in good time.
(Apart: Did you see the proposed designs for a brand new CSS brand? You’ll be able to vote on them as of yesterday, however earlier variations performed off the “CSS is Superior” imply fairly fantastically.)
Apparently sufficient, viewport items are available at Quantity 11 with 44.2% utilization… which lands them at Quantity 2 for many expertise that builders have with CSS structure. Does that counsel that structure options are much less extensively used than CSS filters? Once more, so many questions.
Frameworks
What number of of you had been stunned that Tailwind blew previous Bootstrap as High Canine framework in CSS Land? No one, proper?
Extra fascinating to me is that “No CSS framework” clocks in at Quantity 13 out of 21 checklist frameworks. Certain, its 46 votes are dwarfed by the 138 for Materials UI at Quantity 10… however the truth that we’re seeing “no framework” as a rating possibility in any respect would have been unimaginable simply three years in the past.
The identical goes for CSS pre/post-processing. Sass (67%) and PostCSS (38%) are the facility gamers, however “None” is available in third at 19%, forward of Much less, Stylus, and Lightning CSS.
It’s an actual testomony to the good work the CSSWG is doing to make CSS higher on daily basis. We don’t thank the CSSWG sufficient — thanks, staff! Y’all are heroes round these elements.
CSS Utilization
Josh already has tackle the truth that solely 67% of parents say they check their work on cellphones. It ought to be no less than tied with the 99% who check on desktops, proper? Proper?! Who is aware of, possibly some responses think about issues like “Responsive Design Mode” desktop options to be the equal of testing on actual cell gadgets. I discover it exhausting to imagine that solely 67% of us check cell.
Oh, and The Nice Divide remains to be alive and nicely if the outcomes are true and 53% write extra JavsScript than CSS of their day-to-day.
Lacking CSS Options
That is at all times a enjoyable subject to ponder. Among the most-wanted CSS options have been lurking round 10+ years. However let’s take a look at the highest three type this 12 months’s survey:
- Mixins
- Conditional Logic
- Masonry
We’re in luck staff! There’s motion on all three of these fronts:
Assets
That is the place I get to toot our personal horn a bit as a result of CSS-Tips continues to position first amongst y’all relating to the blogs you observe for CSS happenings.
I’m additionally stoked to see Smashing Journal proper there as nicely. It was fifth in 2023 and I’d wish to assume that rise is as a result of me becoming a member of the staff final 12 months. Correlation implies causation, amirite?
However take a look at Kevin Powell and Josh within the High 10. That’s simply superior. It speaks volumes about their educating skills and the exhausting work they put into “serving to folks fall in love with CSS” as Kevin may say it. I used to be in a position to assist Kevin with a few his movies final 12 months (right here’s one) and might let you know the man cares a heckuva lot about making CSS approachable and enjoyable.
Actually, the rankings should not what we reside for. Now that I’ve been given a second wind to work on CSS-Tips, all I would like is to publish issues which might be priceless to your on a regular basis work as front-enders. That’s historically occurred as a stream of every day articles however is shifting to extra tutorials and sources, whether or not it’s guides (we’ve printed 4 new ones this 12 months), taking notes on fascinating developments, spotlighting good work with hyperlinks, or increasing the ol’ Almanac to account for issues like capabilities, at-rules, and pseudos (we now have plenty of work to do).
My 2024 Decide
Nobody requested my opinion however I’ll say it anyway: Private running a blog. I’m seeing extra of us within the front-end group getting again behind the keyboards of their private web sites and I’ve by no means been subscribed to extra RSS feeds than I’m immediately. Some began running a blog as a “fear stone” throughout the 2020 lockdown. Some deserted socials when Twitter X imploded. Some acquired means into the IndieWeb. Webrings and guestbooks are even gaining new life. Certain, it may be powerful maintaining, however what drawback to have! Let’s make RSS king as soon as and for all.
That’s a wrap!
Severely, an enormous due to Sacha Greif and all the Devographics staff for the dedication to placing this survey collectively yearly. It’s at all times enjoyable. And the visualizations are at all times to die for.
