Claims, examined
- ClaimBUSTED
“Just add !important.”
It works exactly once. Then it becomes the thing the next person has to defeat, and the only way to defeat it is another !important.
DEVELOPERcss - ClaimIT DEPENDS
“React is slow.”
React's own work is rarely the bottleneck. The tree shape, the amount of JavaScript shipped, and what happens during hydration usually are.
ENGINEERreact - ClaimBUSTED
“More memoization = more performance.”
Every memo has a cost: the comparison, the retained references, and the dependency array you now have to keep correct. Applied blindly, it is a net loss.
ENGINEERreact - ClaimPARTLY TRUE
“A smaller bundle is always faster.”
Smaller usually helps, but *when* bytes arrive and *what* they do on arrival matter more than the total.
SYSTEMSperformance - ClaimBUSTED
“100 Lighthouse means your website is perfect.”
Lighthouse is a synthetic run on a simulated device, on your network, with no real user in sight. It is a useful ratchet, not a verdict.
DEVELOPERperformance - ClaimBUSTED
“useEffect is for everything.”
An effect synchronises your component with an external system. If there is no external system, you probably do not need one.
DEVELOPERreact - ClaimBUSTED
“Tailwind means you don't need CSS knowledge.”
Utility classes change how you write declarations. They do not change the box model, the cascade, stacking contexts or formatting contexts, and those are the parts that confuse people.
CURIOUScss - ClaimIT DEPENDS
“Adding a cache always makes it faster.”
A cache with a poor hit rate adds a lookup, a write, an eviction policy and an invalidation bug, in exchange for very little.
SYSTEMSnetworking