We have “one simple way” of dealing with the upcoming Blue Monday – supposedly the most depressing day of the year (though this has never been proven scientifically). We use this method once every month, and its results can be truly astonishing. How do we deal with the winter blues then? Through the monthly #SidnetDonations, of course. As part of this initiative, we donate funds to open-source and charity projects based on requests from our colleagues.
This time, the projects that we will be supporting were selected by Mariusz Różański. Despite being the youngest of our team members, he already has several years of experience in web development, as well as being a dad. Mariusz works remotely from Toruń, primarily on projects for our British clients: THG and UK2.
Webpack
Webpack is an open-source JavaScript tool. It allows the user to merge resources, styles, scripts and graphics to create a single, optimized output file. Webpack combines individual project modules (e.g. JavaScript, Sass, Less, HTML files, external libraries and others), while also taking order and dependencies into account.
Mariusz has been using this tool for several years, both for simple and complex web projects.
Which of Webpack’s features does he particularly like?
- Configurability. Webpack is known for its extensive configuration options. It makes it possible to easily adjust every single detail to perfectly suit the project’s needs.
- Website optimization. Webpack allows the user to split output files into smaller pieces. These so-called “chunks” may be set to load in certain circumstances but be skipped in others (e.g. in the mobile version).
“New frontend technologies are created virtually every day, with some being useless or borderline pointless. There is even a joke website counting the days since the creation of the last JavaScript framework, and so far I haven’t seen the counter go over 3 days. Among all these tools there are also those that actually increase productivity and become an inseparable element. For me, such a tool is Webpack,” Mariusz said.
TipTop Foundation
The organization helps children suffering due to disability, poverty or difficult life circumstances affecting their families.
“The TipTop Foundation is close to my heart because it helps children with reduced and increased muscle tone. The pain and discomfort that babies experience from the very first days of their lives make rehabilitation necessary and require strong perseverance on their parents’ part as well. This I know from personal experience,” our developer said.
The foundation supports parents through such activities as financing treatment, organizing rest and rehabilitation and assisting in collecting funds. It helps orphanages by carrying out renovation works thanks to donations, as well as providing the necessary equipment and helping the children directly.
“Some children are simply unable to develop properly without external assistance. It’s a wonderful thing that TipTop Foundation volunteers to look after them. If detected early, all ailments related to muscle tension can be cured completely. Therefore, nothing should prevent children affected by this condition from receiving the help they need to grow into strong, thoughtful people who will go on to build a better future for all of us,” Mariusz added.