WebAssembly: The Definitive Guide

Chapter 8. WebAssembly in the Server

I felt extremely uncomfortable as the focal point, in the spotlight. I really like the behind-the-scenes role, because all my freedom is there.

Brian Eno

My career started in the user interface world. I first worked on an X/Motif application to control Network Matrix Switches.¹ From there, I went on to a Whole Earth visualization environment capable of displaying terabytes of terrain data and hyperspectral imagery. Not only was this fun from a 3D visualization perspective, but we were inspired by Doug Young at Silicon Graphics to build the entire application around the Command Pattern² a year before the “Gang of Four” Design Patterns book emerged.

Working on software that humans sat down and used was a fun and rewarding experience most of the time. You could genuinely make people’s lives easier and less stressful by putting some thought into how they went about their work tasks. Despite these positives, it had its drawbacks as well. While everyone had opinions on user interface decisions, only some of them were informed opinions.

I imagine in some small way, this is what Brian Eno was referring to in the above quotation. He was notably one of the cofounders of Roxy Music, a darling of music nerds everywhere. But, despite his glam outfits and makeup, he did not really care to be in the spotlight and, after frequent clashes with Bryan Ferry, he went his own way, focusing more on composition and production than on being a typical rock star ...