Tien Nguyen
· 7 min read
How to learn React in 2026: the AI-first roadmap
How to learn React in 2026: a step-by-step AI-first roadmap. The JavaScript to learn first, what to build, and how to use AI as a tutor without faking it.
Read articleNotes from the build log
Honest writing on AI-augmented engineering, front end craft, and the dev tools that actually hold up. Mostly the things I wish someone had told past-me.
Tien Nguyen
· 8 min read
Is React easy to learn? An honest 2026 answer
Is React easy to learn? Yes to start, hard to master, and AI changed the curve. The honest answer, the JavaScript you need first, and how to learn it in 2026.
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Tien Nguyen
· 8 min read
SolidJS vs Svelte: same signals, different bet
SolidJS vs Svelte used to be compiler vs runtime. Svelte 5 runes made them both signals-based. Here's what actually differs now, and how to pick.
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Tien Nguyen
· 11 min read
Zustand vs Redux: which state manager should you use?
Zustand vs Redux comes down to one question most posts skip: which Redux? The fair fight is Zustand vs Redux Toolkit. Here's how to actually choose.
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Tien Nguyen
· 11 min read
Svelte vs Next.js: which should you actually use?
Svelte vs Next.js is the wrong fight. The fair comparison is SvelteKit vs Next.js. Here's how they really differ, and how to pick the right one.
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Tien Nguyen
· 9 min read
The this keyword in JavaScript, actually explained
How the this keyword in JavaScript really works: one mental model (read the call-site), the 4 binding rules, and the callback bug that trips up every dev.
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Tien Nguyen
· 8 min read
5 Claude Code skills I actually use (out of 40 I installed)
I installed ~40 Claude Code skills and use 5. The five that survived, what I run each for, and the pattern that predicts which skills actually stick.
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Tien Nguyen
· 3 min read
Why I built this site with Astro and Claude Code
I built tiennguyen.dev in an afternoon by reviewing what Claude Code wrote, not typing it. The boring stack, the AI-first workflow, and what I still own.
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