There are no challenges. The code I wrote in 2000 still works in 2020 and will work in 2030. That’s why it’s boring tech - it just works without thinking or deleting node_modules directory every day.
> it just works without thinking or deleting node_modules directory every day
That kind of hyperbole isn't useful. If you're deleting node_modules directory every day, you're doing something wrong. Perhaps due to lack of experience. You're claiming 22 years of experience in PHP. So of course that familiar workflow is going to work better for you personally.
My favorite interview question is - how often do you delete node_modules directory. I find that the most experienced candidates will answer “every day”, which is the correct answer. I can catch people lying quickly if they say they don’t delete node_modules.
That's a horrible heuristic. All you are doing is selecting for engineers who have failed to fix the problem like you have failed. Misery loves company, eh?
I have decades of experience, mostly work in JS, am often in the top 5% on StackOverflow and very rarely need to delete node_modules. Neither do most of the people on my team. Some of our junior devs reach for that sledge hammer out of frustration. Which is fine. I used a lot of sledge hammer when I was first learning PHP too.
Code security company SonarSource today published details on a severe vulnerability impacting Packagist, which could have been abused to mount supply chain attacks targeting the PHP community.