Absolutely spot-on regarding the cyclical nature of server-side techniques. These were once the backbone of high-performance web hosting and architecture. Remember Steve Souders’ “High Performance Websites”? It feels like a prophetic read today as it delved deep into what’s now being rediscovered.

Full stack development has indeed morphed into a daunting field. The complexity has soared with numerous frameworks and PaaS solutions, which, while they offer a lot for “free,” tend to obscure the foundational principles that once were essential knowledge. This shift might not be detrimental as it allows developers to specialize or concentrate on business logic. However, it does make it challenging for small teams or solo developers to build high-performance applications due to the breadth of skills required.

This democratization of technology might make the field more accessible, lowering the barriers to entry for newcomers. While some might view this perspective as elitist, I think it’s just being realistic about the skills and knowledge that defined a ‘good’ developer in the early 2000s compared to today.

I’m nostalgic for the 2000-2010 era too, not just for the technologies and paradigms we used, but for the spirit of exploration and understanding that pervaded our approaches to problems.