Alexander Petros – Getting off the Modernization Treadmill | Big Sky DevCon 2026

Alexander Petros argues for building durable public web infrastructure using semantic HTML and progressive enhancement instead of fragile, JavaScript-heavy frameworks.

Alexander Petros, an IRS tech lead, htmx co-maintainer, and contributor to the Triptych proposals for HTML, examines why government websites built only a decade ago already need expensive replacements. Using California’s BenefitsCal portal and the retired GetCalFresh service, he shows how slow, JavaScript-heavy applications can make essential public benefits hardest to access for the people who need them most. Alexander argues that better funding and development processes are not enough if public services are built on fragile technical foundations. He makes the case for semantic HTML as durable public infrastructure: backward compatible, accessible by default, improved by browser updates, and inexpensive to maintain. His practical recommendation is simple—require every service’s core functionality to work without JavaScript, then enhance it as needed. Followed by a Q&A on advocating for simpler technology inside bureaucratic organizations and keeping the needs of ordinary users at the center of technical decisions. Talk Title: Getting off the Modernization Treadmill Speaker: Alexander Petros Chapters: 0:00 Introduction and Civic Technology Background 2:17 Why Modern Systems Need Replacing So Soon 3:05 BenefitsCal and the Cost of Poor Web Performance 8:26 Government Services Move to the Web 10:23 Project Funding and the Modernization Treadmill 14:30 HTML as Durable Public Infrastructure 20:00 Require Core Services to Work Without JavaScript 23:34 Q&A: Bureaucracy, Technology, and User Needs bigskydevconf.com