Lee Dale

Happy 10th to my (still) favourite blog, Daring Fireball.

Today marks the 10th anniversary of John Gruber’s Daring Fireball, a full time gig for Gruber for about the past 6 years. Congratulations are definitely in order.

Kottke points to a Robinson Meyer article at the Atlantic which portends:

The past year, DF hasn’t been as enjoyable as its been in the past. Apple, Gruber’s Beatrice, is engorged as a company, and seems now to be veering from interestingly complex to dully complicated. (I hope the next few months prove me wrong on both counts.) Ten years ago, Gruber picked the right story at the right time, and followed the most complete business turnaround and aesthetic parable in recent history. But, in light of that victory, his renegade confidence has become an assured superiority.

It’s great to tie Gruber’s success to that of Apple’s underdog status, but there’s more to Gruber than Apple. As Meyer writes:

Gruber’s best when he’s writing about perfection, excellence and what it takes to achieve either. The man’s clearly animated by a hatred of everything he knows to be BS.

So, let’s see how the next 10 years play out. 

In the meantime, we can see a visualization of Gruber’s writing as it’s shifted over the years from Desktop to Mobile topics, mirroring closely our own design practice and it’s shift from Web apps to playing predominantly in the mobile space. Boy, that iPhone really was something.

However, my personal favourite bit on this subject is this animated GIF from Kottke. Showing how the design of Daring Fireball has changed over the years really helps highlight the evolution of this great writer. Take a look and marvel! 

And congrats, John. Here’s to 10 more.