Frontend Architect · Author · Developer
Built web apps used by millions. Wrote the books that teach others how.
My new book with Manning is now available in early access. It covers how to build software systems that are fast by default, not fast after a firefight.
The first five chapters are out now, covering the business cost of slow performance, user-centered goals, critical paths, and architectural patterns for speed. Examples span web, backend, mobile, and desktop.
If you've ever been stuck in the cycle of shipping, getting complaints, panicking, patching, and repeating, this book offers a way out.
50% launch discount available now: https://hubs.la/Q044cvyR0
I'm a web engineer with 25+ years of experience, specializing in fast, accessible, and scalable UI architecture.
I’ve worked with global brands like Canva, Volvo Cars, Nike, UNICEF, AKQA, and MINI, and authored two JavaScript books used in universities and cited in academic research. Today, I’m building tools and methodologies that help engineering teams ship better products.
- Performance Engineering In Practice (Manning, 2026) — Build software systems that are fast by default, not fast after a firefight.
- Pro JavaScript Development (Apress, 2014) — 46K+ reads, 27 academic citations, used in courses at Harbour.Space University and APU. Also available in Chinese language.
- Pro JavaScript RIA Techniques (Apress, 2009) — 54 academic citations, held in 344 libraries worldwide, used in courses at universities in Spain and Sweden. Also available in Chinese and Czech languages.
- My 2025 article on the HTML output tag inspired accessibility improvements in Joomla CMS
- Featured in JavaScript Weekly, Frontend Focus, CSS Weekly, and 10+ other developer newsletters
- Writing translated/covered in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Polish, Japanese, and Russian
- Fast by Default — A software development methodology, designed to maintain performance from the outset and continually throughout a project
- ByteShrink — AI tool to analyze and optimize JS bundles via
package.json - Frogger - The classic arcade game rendered in a
<canvas>- from my 2014 book "Pro JavaScript Development" (Apress)
- 📦 Constraints and The Lost Art Of Optimization
- 🛑 The Main Thread Is Not Yours
- 🚀 Escape Velocity: Break Free from Framework Gravity
- 🧑💻 HTML's Best Kept Secret: The
<output>Tag - #1 on Hacker News, 125k+ reads - 💅 We Keep Reinventing CSS, but Styling Was Never the Problem - #3 on Hacker News
- ♿︎ The Web Is About to Get Better for Everyone, Everywhere - Featured on the Hacker News homepage
Read more at denodell.com/blog
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“Build the web you want to use.”