The Digital Press

A developer rewrote their eBook generator, Little Webby Press, to eliminate build steps and simplify the tech stack, resulting in a much faster, no-build web app running directly in the browser.

Why it matters: Removing build steps streamlines development, reduces complexity, and improves performance dramatically.

Stunning stat: The new version generates the Moby Dick EPUB in 125ms versus 2.5 seconds previously, and the site in under 0.5 seconds.

The big picture: This reflects a broader push among developers to avoid heavy frameworks and transpilation, favoring minimal, direct browser execution.

Commenters say: Many appreciate the return to simpler, faster no-build apps and criticize over-reliance on complex build tools and frameworks in modern web development.