BemtvJS is my most important and recent project. It took many months of work and was, without a doubt, a project of great difficulty. While building the library, I had to make design decisions to keep the Bemtv API easy to use.

During development, I had to create a reconciliation algorithm, an SPA router, a custom markup language (similar to HTML), an integrated way to use CSS-in-JS, DOM event handling, and API documentation in Portuguese and English. I could list many more things because it was certainly my most challenging project, and I am very happy with its current result.

Visit BemtvJS: https://github.com/diogoneves07/bemtvjs

Over the past few years, I have deepened my JavaScript knowledge, and a question recently came to mind: how do I know whether I am truly good at JavaScript?

The question is not whether I am a good developer or programmer, but how far I have come in a particular language.

The answer…

The answer is: it depends. It depends on your benchmark, because that decides what you consider to be “good”.

Still, we can use an analogy and compare learning a programming language with learning a spoken language.

Every language learner dreams of pronouncing and knowing the words of a given language like native speakers. Yet even native speakers do not know every word or every way a sentence can be formed.

But most of the time, when native speakers hear or read words in their language, they recognize them quickly, even when they do not know exactly what they mean.

Returning to programming languages, I believe a programmer has reached a good or “native” level in a language when they do not feel confused or lost upon seeing something new in that language. Even without knowing exactly what is happening, they should have a basic idea and feel comfortable.

Conclusion

That is how I like to think about it today, because defining levels is simply not necessary.

We can test this reasoning by looking at a block of code in an unknown language and then another in our favorite language. Of course, your skills may help you understand both, but code in an unfamiliar language can still feel as though you are not speaking your native language.

BlowUpX was my first game. While building it, I used my own animation library, wide-smile, which made it special.

Throughout the development process, I learned how to build rules for game dynamics, work with animations after specific user events, and handle responsiveness so the game would be playable on any device. This project also asked for creativity: I wanted to make something simple but innovative. I was happy with the result.

You can play it here: https://blow-up-x.vercel.app/. I hope you enjoy it!

Recently, during a conversation in a group of developer friends, a question came up: could a super AI “take” programmers’ place in the job market?

To get a sense of how “super” that AI would need to be, imagine combining the most powerful tools and AI systems currently available — the very ones you are used to using. It would certainly be powerful.

My answer…

I begin with a question: at the company where you work, whether you are junior or senior, is your only responsibility to sit in a chair and write code?

A programmer is similar to an architect and, as such, is important to what is being built. They usually go beyond code: they take part in planning, follow execution, and help make decisions according to the project’s needs.

Conclusion

I see these “tools” literally as tools that help, or will help, developers be more productive, or that address a specific problem that can be automated. Even with a “Super AI”, I do not see the world of programmers being shaken by that.

In fact, automating certain tasks leaves developers more time to focus on truly important things, such as code quality, tests, and new features. That helps us build amazing software and keep it sustainable over time.