Building in React & React Native: 5 Years Ago & Now

Anisha moved from biomedical engineering and technical consulting into JavaScript, React, and React Native by learning on the job and asking to join development projects. Ola studied French philology before learning HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React Native. Anisha later found developer advocacy through public speaking and explaining technical topics.

Ola enjoys the challenge of TV apps, especially remote-based focus management and working across many emulators. Anisha focuses on making React Native TV development easier and wants to explore testing, an area with few tools designed specifically for TV. They also discuss how TV interfaces have distinct usability needs.

The guests describe how Hooks, Context, and function components changed the way developers learn and build React and React Native apps. Easier tools can improve developer experience, but newcomers may miss performance concerns such as broad Context updates or poorly managed useEffect dependencies. They also point to Expo and a stronger React Native open-source community as changes that have made app development more accessible.

The guests group state libraries into reducer-based tools such as Redux and Zustand, atom-based tools such as Recoil and Jotai, and observable state such as MobX. They recommend choosing a tool that fits the app and the developer's way of working, and note that Redux Toolkit is a more approachable option than older Redux patterns. They distinguish server-data tools such as TanStack Query from general state management.

Anisha encourages learners to choose a path, build on JavaScript fundamentals, and share what they learn. She says people can enter tech from different backgrounds and describes plans for Her Code Stories, featuring women who inspired her. Ola advises developers to recognize their value and negotiate, while Kuba encourages people to try other specialties or technologies if their current work does not suit them.