--- title: Best John Liter posts — January 2026 | daily.dev description: The most upvoted John Liter posts from January 2026, curated by the daily.dev community. canonical: https://daily.dev/sources/yhf9cpdgtqetokv6d8qhm/best-of/2026/01 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:url: https://daily.dev/sources/yhf9cpdgtqetokv6d8qhm/best-of/2026/01 og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Best John Liter posts — January 2026 | daily.dev og:description: The most upvoted John Liter posts from January 2026, curated by the daily.dev community. og:image: https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--VAY5ToZt--/f_auto/v1724209435/public/daily.dev%20-%20open%20graph --- # Best of John Liter — January 2026 1. 1 [](https://daily.dev/posts/why-w3schools-became-the-foundation-of-my-coding-journey-and-why-i-m-passing-it-on-zuk7s6os6 "Why W3Schools Became the Foundation of My Coding Journey and Why I’m Passing It On") Article John Liter · 33w Why W3Schools Became the Foundation of My Coding Journey and Why I’m Passing It On W3Schools served as a foundational learning platform that emphasized understanding over memorization through simple explanations, immediate feedback loops, and hands-on experimentation. The platform has evolved to include structured learning paths, in-browser editors, and progress tracking while maintaining its focus on teaching fundamentals. In an era of AI-generated code, understanding how to read code and reason through problems remains crucial, making platforms that teach core concepts more relevant than ever. 832 65 2. 2 [](https://daily.dev/posts/why-i-choose-to-build-my-own-systems-instead-of-paying-for-apps-q3p8elpol "Why I Choose to Build My Own Systems Instead of Paying for Apps") Article John Liter · 33w Why I Choose to Build My Own Systems Instead of Paying for Apps Building custom systems instead of relying on commercial apps offers strategic advantages: full data control, tailored workflows, reduced complexity, and independence from external platforms. While not always cheaper or faster initially, custom systems become compounding assets that grow with your needs and embed institutional memory. This approach shifts thinking from features to processes, focusing on inputs, transformations, outputs, and automation opportunities. The real value lies in developing deep workflow understanding and maintaining capability rather than just convenience. 212 39 3. 3 [](https://daily.dev/posts/learning-c-in-college-and-why-i-m-bringing-it-home-to-my-kids-aen5omz1x "Learning C++ in College and Why I’m Bringing It Home to My Kids") Article John Liter · 33w Learning C++ in College and Why I’m Bringing It Home to My Kids A college student learning C++ shares their motivation for studying the language—not for trends, but for foundational skills like logic, memory management, and problem-solving. They plan to teach these fundamentals to their children, emphasizing understanding systems over consuming tools, and using AI as an assistant rather than a crutch. The approach focuses on building blocks: step-by-step logic, input/output, variables, loops, and debugging with patience. 149 24 4. 4 [](https://daily.dev/posts/why-learning-to-code-is-still-important-even-in-the-age-of-ai-ysjalk7cj "Why Learning to Code Is Still Important, Even in the Age of AI") Article John Liter · 35w Why Learning to Code Is Still Important, Even in the Age of AI Despite the rise of no-code platforms and AI code generators, learning to code remains essential for building robust systems. While these tools can create interfaces and components, they lack understanding of business context, system architecture, scalability, and tradeoffs. Coding teaches systematic thinking, debugging skills, and the ability to handle edge cases—capabilities needed when prototypes must evolve into production systems. AI serves as a powerful assistant, but human developers who understand code structure and intent are necessary to guide tools effectively and build systems that last. 17 6 [See all John Liter archives](/sources/yHf9cPdgTQEtokv6d8qhM/best-of) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"CollectionPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/sources/yHf9cPdgTQEtokv6d8qhM/best-of/2026/01#page","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/yHf9cPdgTQEtokv6d8qhM/best-of/2026/01","name":"Best John Liter Posts — January 2026","description":"The most upvoted John Liter posts from January 2026, curated by the daily.dev community.","isPartOf":{"@type":"WebSite","url":"https://daily.dev"}},{"@type":"ItemList","@id":"https://daily.dev/sources/yHf9cPdgTQEtokv6d8qhM/best-of/2026/01#items","numberOfItems":4,"itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"url":"https://daily.dev/posts/why-w3schools-became-the-foundation-of-my-coding-journey-and-why-i-m-passing-it-on-zuk7s6os6","name":"Why W3Schools Became the Foundation of My Coding Journey and Why I’m Passing It On"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"url":"https://daily.dev/posts/why-i-choose-to-build-my-own-systems-instead-of-paying-for-apps-q3p8elpol","name":"Why I Choose to Build My Own Systems Instead of Paying for Apps"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"url":"https://daily.dev/posts/learning-c-in-college-and-why-i-m-bringing-it-home-to-my-kids-aen5omz1x","name":"Learning C++ in College and Why I’m Bringing It Home to My Kids"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"url":"https://daily.dev/posts/why-learning-to-code-is-still-important-even-in-the-age-of-ai-ysjalk7cj","name":"Why Learning to Code Is Still Important, Even in the Age of AI"}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sources","item":"https://daily.dev/sources"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"John Liter","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/yHf9cPdgTQEtokv6d8qhM"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Best of","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/yHf9cPdgTQEtokv6d8qhM/best-of"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"January 2026"}]}]} ```