Writing on web.dev

Chrome Dev Summit kicked off yesterday. The opening keynote had its usual share of announcements.

There was quite a bit of talk about privacy, which sounds good in theory, but then we were told that Google would be partnering with ���industry stakeholders.��� That���s probably code for the kind of ad-tech sharks that have been making a concerted effort to infest W3C groups. Beware.

But once Una was on-screen, the topics shifted to the kind of design and development updates that don���t have sinister overtones.

My favourite moment was when Una said:

We���re also partnering with Jeremy Keith of Clearleft to launch Learn Responsive Design on��web.dev. This is a free online course with everything you need to know about designing for the new responsive web of today.

This is what���s been keeping me busy for the past few months (and for the next month or so too). I���ve been writing fifteen pieces���or ���modules������on modern responsive web design. One third of them are available now at web.dev/learn/design:

IntroductionMedia queriesInternationalizationMacro layoutsMicro layouts

The rest are on their way: typography, responsive images, theming, UI patterns, and more.

I���ve been enjoying this process. It���s hard work that requires me to dive deep into the nitty-gritty details of lots of different techniques and technologies, but that can be quite rewarding. As is often said, if you truly want to understand something, teach it.

Oh, and I made one more appearance at the Chrome Dev Summit. During the ���Ask Me Anything��� section, quizmaster Una asked the panelists a question from me:

Given the court proceedings against AMP, why should anyone trust FLOC or any other Google initiatives ostensibly focused on privacy?

(Thanks to Jake for helping craft the question into a form that could make it past the legal department but still retain its spiciness.)

The question got a response. I wouldn���t say it got an answer. My verdict remains:

I���m not sure that Google Chrome can be considered a user agent.

The fundamental issue is that you���ve got a single company that���s the market leader in web search, the market leader in web advertising, and the market leader in web browsers. I honestly believe all three would function better���and more honestly���if they were separate entities.

Monopolies aren���t just damaging for customers. They���re damaging for the monopoly too. I���d love to see Google Chrome compete on being a great web browser without having to also balance the needs of surveillance-based advertising.