Joining the huddle at JS Heroes
From the exquisite penmanship of Andrei Budoi and Mihai Badila, here’s their POV from of this year’s JS Heroes.
This year we participated at JSHeroes, an annual open-source community event in Cluj, Romania. As a gathering for JavaScript and Web enthusiasts worldwide, JSHeroes provides valuable insights and networking opportunities, attracting curious professionals and developers seeking the latest trends and connections within the JavaScript community. Sounds just like us!
In the fast-paced world of JavaScript, keeping on top of the latest trends and innovations is part of any developer’s day to day. So naturally if we can get as much insight and debate in one place, it helps us build on our skills and develop new ways to see products. Lucky for us that JS Heroes provides just that, a dynamic experience where like minded people share best in class tactics and insights. Whether you’re an experienced professional or a budding developer, JSHeroes is a great opportunity for everyone enthusiastic about JavaScript and its vibrant ecosystem.
Just as expected, this year’s talks confirm that the AI craze is not over, and that Large Language Models (LLMs) or Generative Models are here to stay. These models are reshaping various domains, and talks at the event explored their seamless integration into projects, particularly in powering advanced user interfaces for enhanced experiences.
LLM’s, the next big thing?
LLMs already made a significant impact in the Dev Community, whether it is helping us write better code (using something like Github Copilot), or by adding new functionality in the projects we work for. For us, one of the highlights of this year’s JSHeroes was Jani Eväkallio’s talk on “Building AI-powered user interfaces”. His presentation showcased an exciting application that demonstrated the power of LLMs in the realm of creative writing, as it allows authors to shape character traits with little user input.
Leveraging the capabilities of LLMs, the platform was able to generate full-fledged novels based on the provided characters and personalities. This demonstration exemplified the potential of AI in boosting creativity and streamlining content generation processes. Jani’s talk not only inspired us to explore more AI-powered solutions but also emphasized the importance of incorporating AI technologies to unlock new possibilities across a range of industries.
The Magic of CRDT’s
Another talk that piqued our interest was delivered by Matan Kushner on “Building Offline and Real-Time Applications – The Magic of CRDTs.” Matan introduced us to Conflict-free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs), which power the multiplayer features of some of the apps we use on a daily basis, such as Google Docs or Figma!
He explained the difficulties that come uo when using such apps and demonstrated how CRDTs address them while leading us through the process of making one. Matan’s talk helped us grasp the power of CRDTs in achieving reliable, distributed data synchronisation in offline and real-time scenarios. By the end of the presentation, we gained hands-on experience with a working CRDT system that could be seamlessly integrated into simple applications. The potential of CRDT’s is exciting to say the least especially when we talk about their ability to revolutionize the way we build collaborative and resilient applications.
Hyped up for what’s next!
Attending this year’s conference at JSHeroes was a comforting experience for us at S&P. It made us proud to realize that we’re staying up to date with all the latest and greatest tools that are shaping the development landscape. The buzz around AI particularly caught our attention, leading us to dive deeper and research how we can develop applications driven by Machine Learning. One tool that stood out was Pinecone, a powerful vector-based database that powers up experiences similar to ChatGPT. We’ve actually been using it in a recent project, enabling advanced search capabilities for applications that rely on similarity-based querying. It’s exciting to see how these cutting-edge tools are revolutionizing the way we create and the possibilities they unlock for us.
JSHeroes this year was a fantastic experience that left us inspired and eager to explore new ideas. The lineup of speakers was incredible, and every single talk was truly awesome. These talks not only expanded our understanding but also sparked our creativity, motivating us to think outside the box and come up with exciting ideas using cutting-edge technologies. JSHeroes reminded us about the boundless potential within the JavaScript ecosystem, and we can’t wait to dive deeper and see what other awesome ideas we can bring to life.