CSS Can Now Style Native Select Dropdowns Without JavaScript Rebuilds

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Browsers are gaining support for a new CSS feature called 'customizable select,' which allows developers to fully style native HTML select dropdowns using the new 'appearance: base-select' value. Previously, the select element's popup was largely controlled by the operating system, forcing developers to rebuild the control in JavaScript to match custom designs. The new approach lets developers style the picker, options, arrow icon, and checkmark with CSS while retaining native form submission, keyboard interaction, and accessibility behavior. Chrome and Edge shipped support in version 135, and Safari followed with version 27 released on September 17, 2026, while Firefox support remains experimental and off by default. Developers are advised to treat the feature as progressive enhancement, ensuring unstyled, functional dropdowns still appear in unsupported browsers.

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Dev Drops AI Race Agent Idea, Opts for Classic Rule-Based Tactics System

A developer building EvoWild Run, a creature-breeding racing game, initially planned to let players deploy AI agents to make real-time decisions during races. The concept aimed to replace direct player control so that a creature's bred traits, not the player's reflexes, would determine race outcomes. To avoid splitting the game into two systems for AI and non-AI users, the developer unified the approach by converting UI-selected tactics into a common 'Agent File' format. Upon closer inspection, the runtime logic — checking conditions and executing predefined commands — turned out to be a classic rule-based system rather than true AI. The developer concluded that the 'Race Agent' label was misleading, and that games have long used similar tactics-programming mechanics without calling them AI.

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ProgrammingDEV Community ·

Developer Releases node-raft-rsm SDK to Add Raft Consensus to Existing Node.js Services

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ProgrammingDEV Community ·

Developer finds 14 bugs in real-world testing after 1,800 automated tests passed

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ProgrammingDEV Community ·

How Developers Are Quietly Building Personal AI Hierarchies for Different Tasks

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