This year, we can see a renaissance of (mostly) JavaScript-less websites and web apps, as an answer to the "Website obesity crisis" [1].
A recent prominent example is that "Hey.com UI is 100% HTML" [2]. Other compelling examples that I've seen are: "It’s perceivably faster to load 8.5 megabytes of HTML than it is to load a single tweet with a client-side React app." [3] or LOW←TECH MAGAZINE, a "solar-powered website" [4].
The numerous examples show that this is a trend now. I am looking for other compelling examples and explorations of this trend.
Do you think it is an important trend to copy, or mostly irrelevant gimmick (similar to code golf excercises)?
Background (skippable): I am a web developer currently working as a contractor building brochure-like websites for lawyer companies mostly. The clients insist on modern looks with animations and interactivity all within a 2 week deadline and not-so-huge budget, which usually ends up in inacccessible, bloated sites. During my 2 years working professionally in the field I was your typical herd coder, following the cool kids, doing awesome modern Web stuff. Only recently (mostly due to reading HN discussions and opinionated articles like http://idlewords.com/talks/website_obesity.htm) have I started feeling bad writing these kinds of bloated experiences.
Idea: The idea I have had for a while isn't terribly novel (though it might be in this JS-heavy age): run a business modeled upon the notion of minimalistic, tiny and highly accessible websites coded using mostly safe features or progressive enhancement. The goal would be to make them still look good enough visually with the limited resources (maybe a dedicated designer would join me as a partner later).
Draft: I have created a quick draft of my thoughts and technical goals I would like to comply to with the code. You can view the manifesto here: http://muon.pl/manifesto.html and goals here: http://muon.pl/goals.html.
Doubts: As every human being who comes up with something I'm having some doubts which I would love to hear smart HN people's opinion on: 1) What would be my potential client base? I'm thinking brochure company websites or personal websites. 2) Would companies even consider having this kind of an 'old-school' website? Some of them are still living the Web 2.0 fairytale. 3) Would people pay for removing features? This seems tough as it requires some understanding about user experience and brand building. 4) How to find clients? Pretty stupid question, I know, but it's hard stuff for an introvert dev.
A recent prominent example is that "Hey.com UI is 100% HTML" [2]. Other compelling examples that I've seen are: "It’s perceivably faster to load 8.5 megabytes of HTML than it is to load a single tweet with a client-side React app." [3] or LOW←TECH MAGAZINE, a "solar-powered website" [4].
The numerous examples show that this is a trend now. I am looking for other compelling examples and explorations of this trend.
Do you think it is an important trend to copy, or mostly irrelevant gimmick (similar to code golf excercises)?
[1] https://idlewords.com/talks/website_obesity.htm
[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23536517
[3] https://twitter.com/zachleat/status/1169998370041208832
[4] https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/about.html