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The Evolution of CSS: From Early Days to Flexbox & Grid with Kevin Powell

In this episode of the Modern Web Podcast, CSS expert Kevin Powell discusses the evolution of CSS, from the early days of CSS3 to the rapid advancements with Flexbox, Grid, and the latest innovations. Kevin explains how CSS is making strides to integrate features that previously required JavaScript, like scroll-driven animations and popovers, simplifying development and improving performance. He also touches on the importance of understanding the fundamentals of CSS, debugging techniques, and the future of tools like Tailwind and Sass.

Chapters

Here are the timestamped chapters for the episode:

00:00 - Introduction and Technical Setup Issues 01:05 - Guest Introduction: Kevin Powell 02:00 - Kevin's Journey into CSS and Content Creation 03:21 - Evolution of CSS: From CSS3 to Modern Features 05:46 - The Role of JavaScript in CSS and New Features 08:08 - Popovers, Anchor Positioning, and Progressive Enhancement in CSS 10:26 - Discussion on SAS, Tailwind, and CSS Tools 12:35 - Challenges with Tailwind and Over-Componentization 14:57 - The Importance of Learning Core CSS Principles 16:56 - The "CSS is Hard" Memes and Overcoming CSS Frustration 19:12 - Formatting Contexts and Advanced CSS Concepts 21:31 - Opportunities for Junior Developers to Master CSS 23:54 - Browser Discrepancies and the Future of Web Standards 26:14 - Refactoring CSS for Performance and Best Practices 27:50 - Favorite CSS Resources and Conferences 28:26 - Imposter Syndrome and Kevin's Speaking Journey 29:55 - Closing Remarks and Where to Find Kevin Powell Online

Follow Kevin Powell on Social Media Twitter: https://x.com/KevinJPowell Github: https://github.com/kevin-powell YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/kevinpowell

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