Have you ever created something just because you needed it? That’s exactly what happened with my Linux Mint applet - a simple button that turns off your screens while keeping your computer running. What started as a personal solution has grown into something that occasionally receives contributions from others, proving that even small projects can have lasting impact. The Birth of a Solution It all began with a common problem: I had a laptop with Linux Mint that needed to run, but I didn’t need the screen to be on.…

When you’re developing multiple related JavaScript projects-like a library and an app using it-you often need to test local changes before publishing to npm. There are several ways to link a local dependency into your project for fast, iterative development. Here’s a practical guide to the main options, their pros and cons, and some handy community tools to make local linking even smoother. The Problem: Developing and Testing Local Packages Suppose you’re building a shared component or utility library and want to see your changes reflected in a consuming project without publishing each update.…

When building reusable Vue components, you may sometimes want to prevent a component from mounting—especially if it performs heavy initialization like API calls. Vue’s lifecycle hooks provide some control, but truly stopping a mount before any side effects occur can be tricky. This article explains why this is a challenge and offers practical solutions for both Vue 3 and Vue 2. The Problem: Cancelling Component Mount Vue components often fetch data or perform setup in early lifecycle hooks, such as created or setup.…

We’ve all been there - you build a beautiful tab system or modal dialog, only to watch your app chug when switching between views. The Proxy pattern offers a pragmatic solution to this common performance headache. Let’s break it down like we’re pair-programming. The Core Idea Instead of destroying and recreating components (which burns CPU cycles), we: Render components once Hide them when not needed Quickly show them again when required It’s like keeping tools on your workbench instead of running to the storage room every time you need a hammer.…