Building web UI's
since 1998

Manager of infinite AI minds that do UI/UX/Front-end web software engineering/architecting with GitHub Copilot + SolidJS + Tauri at Microsoft AI / GroupMe.

At a glance
Employer Microsoft AI
Experience years
Books 6 published
Articles 50+
01 / About

Front-end architect, author, and builder

I was there in the beginning, before front-end development became an identifiable discipline — before the title even existed. For over 25 years I've been writing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript professionally, shaping the craft as it grew from "the person who slices PSDs" into a full engineering practice.

Along the way I wrote books for O'Reilly (JavaScript Enlightenment, DOM Enlightenment, jQuery Cookbook), authored the Front-end Developer Handbook series for Frontend Masters, and built interfaces and design systems at companies ranging from startups to Microsoft.

Today I focus on front-end application architecture — design systems, component architectures, and the intersection of engineering and design. When I'm not wielding client-side code, I'm toying with interface and interaction design. The best interfaces are built on scalable foundations; I've spent my career helping teams build them.

When I step away from the keyboard, you'll find me hanging out with my wife and our three boys in Idaho.

Current Role
Microsoft AI logo

Front-end Principal Software Engineer

Microsoft AI

Meridian, Idaho
University of Idaho,
02 / Books

Six published books on JavaScript, the DOM, and modern web development

- Present

JavaScript Enlightenment

Core mechanics, objects, prototypes, and professional patterns

O'Reilly

DOM Enlightenment

Native JavaScript DOM manipulation beyond jQuery

O'Reilly

jQuery Enlightenment

Understanding jQuery from the inside out

Self-published

jQuery Cookbook

Battle-tested solutions for real-world problems

O'Reilly

Textpattern Solutions

Building dynamic websites with Textpattern CMS

Apress

Byte-Size Flash MX

Lightweight, high-performance Flash techniques

Apress
03 / Contributions

Handbooks, talks, and open-source shaping how developers learn

Front-End Handbooks

2024 Front-End Handbook Front-End Developer Learning Roadmap JavaScript (ES2015+) Enlightenment Front-end Developer Handbook 2019

Component-Driven Software

Component Driven Software Explained LocusLabs Use Case Component-driven System (GitHub) Storybook Documentation

Conference Talks

Planning A Front-end JS Application Planning A Front-end JS Application (Slides) Front-end Driven Applications

Interviews

The Effect of JavaScript 2015 (ES6) jQuery Succinctly Interview Lost Interview
04 / Articles

Deep dives breaking down complex front-end concepts

Selected writing from Telerik Developer Network, Tuts+, MSDN, and other publications.

19 Tips to Make Learning Angular 2 Easier Telerik Using Kendo UI for jQuery in a React App Telerik What Do the Popular JavaScript Tools Depend On? Telerik Taming the React Setup Telerik What Has Microsoft Done For You Lately? Telerik The Elevator Pitch for React Telerik Front-end Application Libraries and Component Architectures Telerik 5 Steps for Learning React Application Development Telerik Kendo UI Dips its Small Toe in the Web Component Pool Telerik jQuery's Relevancy — There and Back Again Telerik 16 Ways to Search, Find and Edit with Chrome DevTools Telerik Using Kendo UI in a Meteor Application Telerik Kendo UI DataSource Enlightenment Telerik The JavaScript Looping Evolution Telerik Kendo UI at Any Screen Size Telerik Did Famous Finally Get It Right? Telerik Choose ES6 modules Today! Telerik Patterns of JavaScript UI Widget Instantiation Telerik Build & Deploy Rich UI JavaScript Apps, FAST! Telerik Using JavaScript Next Features in an ES3 Enterprise World Telerik Planning A Front-end JavaScript Application Telerik The Mystical & Magical SemVer Ranges Used By npm & Bower Telerik Front-end Driven Applications — A New Approach to Applications Telerik 5 Strategies for Building Mobile Apps with Telerik Telerik The Case For Kendo UI Telerik 12 Extensions and Apps that Fill the Gaps in Chrome DevTools Telerik Thinking About ECMAScript 5 Parts Tech Pro 21 JavaScript Parts I Struggle To Remember Tech Pro Applicative Programming In JavaScript With lodash.js Tech Pro Testable & Tested Client-side Code Tech Pro JavaScript Regular Expression Enlightenment Tech Pro Package Managers: An Introductory Guide For The Uninitiated Front-End Developer Tech Pro Part 1: Backbone.js Deconstructed Tech Pro Part 2: Backbone.js Deconstructed Tech Pro Abide The UI Widget Strategy Tech Pro Fully Understanding the this Keyword Tuts+ Optimizations For Improving Page Load Times MSDN Peeling Away the jQuery Wrapper and Finding an Array Learning jQuery Flash Trigonometry codylindley.com
05 / Projects

Open-source resources for front-end developers

jQuery Widget Toolkit Comparison

Side-by-side comparison for choosing the right UI toolkit

Frontend Development Tools

A curated collection of essential tools

Native HTML Widgets

Visual reference for every native HTML form element

jQuery Selectors

Every selector explained with examples

Thickbox

The original lightbox plugin

CSS Properties to JS Reference

Quick-lookup table mapping CSS properties to JavaScript equivalents