Explore the evolution of web development from Java and AWT to modern Web Components in this 47-minute conference talk. Discover how Web Components offer truly reusable UI elements that work across different frameworks, with a focus on the Vaadin framework. Learn how this approach prioritizes Web Components while making JavaScript and REST endpoints optional. Follow along with code-heavy examples as Leif Åstrand, responsible for product development at Vaadin, demonstrates the potential of this alternative path in web application development.