The Pendulum Swing of Development and Technology Trends
Tags: trends, webdev, technology, thinkforyourself
Published: 2019-11-06 17:14:21

---
title: The Pendulum Swing of Development and Technology Trends
published: true
description: The Pendulum Swing of Development and Technology Trends
tags: trends, webdev, technology, thinkforyourself
---

Pendulum swings happen all around us from time to time. It's when a response to one extreme is the opposite extreme. Examples of industries where pendulum swings are prevalent include:

1. **Politics** - left/right dichotomy
2. **Fashion** - jeans, hair
3. **Design** - open office vs. cubicles

Basically, any industry that is flush with trends and opinions is susceptible to extreme swings and it often feels like we are repeating history.

>"…there is no single correct answer, just a lot of subjective decisions to make." — [Kat Lynch, Why Software Developers Need Creativity](https://www.madebymany.com/stories/why-software-developers-need-creativity)


## Software Development and Technology Trends
Our industry is no exception. It goes without saying that we are surrounded by opinions that we often adopt blindly, sometimes to the detriment of our own unique needs. Here is a list of some current trends and swings.

###**Monorepo**

_Theoretical Reasons for Trend_
1. Multiple repositories are difficult to maintain.
2. Reduce dependency management.

_Prior Trend_

**Multiple repositories** - Separate our concerns. Teams can work independently. Easier to maintain.

###**Server-Side Rendering (SSR)**

_Theoretical Reasons for Trend_
1. Client-side rendering is slow.
2. Poor to no SEO support.

_Prior Trend_

**Client-side rendering** - Browsers are fast now, server-side rendering is slow.

_Prior PRIOR Trend_

**Render content from the Server-Side** - PHP, Ruby, Java, Python, etc.

###**Functional Programming**

_Theoretical Reasons for Trend_
1. Write less code.
2. Object-Oriented code is hard to read.
3. Inheritance and class extension is bad.

_Prior Trend_

**Object-Oriented Programming** - Separation of concerns. Everything is an object. Inheritance is good. Easier to read.

###**Web Components**

_Theoretical Reasons for Trend_
1. (More) Reusable code.
2. Combine HTML, CSS, and JS. Everything is right in front of my face in one file.

_Prior Trend_

**Separation of concerns** - Separate HTML, CSS, JS from each other.

###**Desktop Apps**

_Theoretical Reasons for Trend_
1. Users still like desktop apps for their convenience.
2. "Always on."

_Prior Trend_

**Web apps** - The future of apps will be purely web-based. No need for desktop apps anymore.

_Prior PRIOR Trend_

**Desktop apps** - Download and install everything on your computer.

###**j/k... Web(Assembly) Apps**

_Theoretical Reasons for Trend_
1. Write using your favorite language - JavaScript, C#, Rust, etc.
2. The future of apps will be purely web-based.

_Prior Trend_

**Web apps AND Desktop apps** - Every useful web app has a companion Desktop app.

###**On-Premise**

_Theoretical Reasons for Trend_
1. Any application that my company adopts must be installed internally in our private data centers for maximum security.
2. I don't care about added maintenance. Security is top priority.

_Prior Trend_

**The Cloud** -  Less capital costs. Low maintenance of hardware and software upgrades and network management.

###**Microservices**

_Theoretical Reasons for Trend_
1. Fix bugs and deploy features with minimal impact.
2. Tech stack flexibility and choice due to loose coupling.

_Prior Trend_

**Monolith** - Common language and tech stack that the entire team understands. Predictability.

###**GraphQL**

_Theoretical Reasons for Trend_
1. Give me the data that I want and in the way that I want it.
2. Less noise and calls, more data.
3. Compatible with Microservices architecture.

_Prior Trend_

**REST, RPC** - Predictable endpoints. Great control and restriction.

---

**...and last but not least, my favorite trend...**

###**Virtual Reality (VR)**

_Prior Trend_ - **VIRTUAL REALITY!**

![Animation of VR in Hackers movie](https://media.giphy.com/media/rqzxK1RL5Plp6/giphy.gif)

_Prior PRIOR Trend_ - **The real world.**

##Conclusion
Our industry changes fast and often. It's easy to fall into the shiny object trap. The purpose of this article is five-fold:
1. Make you aware of current trends
2. Explain why they exist
3. Understand the basic history that led up to the trends
4. Realize that there will be more pendulum swings in the future, and last but not least,
5. **Help you outlast trends and to think for yourself**.

![Scene from Jurassic Park](http://giphygifs.s3.amazonaws.com/media/DBfYJqH5AokgM/giphy.gif)

_Follow me on Twitter [@eddieaich](https://twitter.com/eddieaich)_