In this episode of Semaphore Uncut, we chat with Sara Vieira—developer, speaker, and hardware hacker—about her unconventional path into tech, the communities that shaped her, and why she’s diving into Game Boys and 3D printing while everyone else is chasing AI.
From Hi5 to HTML: Sara’s Origin Story
Sara didn’t study computer science in college. Instead, she got started as a teenager in Portugal, editing her dad’s website in Dreamweaver after bluntly telling him, “This looks like shit.” His challenge: “Can you do better?” She did—and it landed her a job.
From there, she customized CSS on the Hi5 social network (a kind of Portuguese MySpace), dabbled in JavaScript, and built WordPress sites at lightning speed. “We made websites in a day,” she laughs. “That’s how I learned to be fast.”
A JavaScript Career with Rust on the Side
Sara’s career has been shaped by JavaScript—on both the frontend and backend. She’s also explored Rust, mostly out of curiosity and a love for its powerful compiler. “Everyone should try it once,” she says.
She’s also become a seasoned speaker—but it didn’t start easy. Her first conference talk, in 2014, was plagued by panic attacks. “But once I got better mentally, speaking became a lot easier,” she says.
Her advice for aspiring speakers? Start small. Meetups and lightning talks are great entry points, especially in mid- to large-sized cities. And you don’t need to be an expert—“You can learn something just to give a talk about it. That’s valid.”
Learning Outside the Hype: Hardware and Hobbies
While the tech industry turns its attention to AI, Sara’s focus has shifted to hardware. She and her partner refurbish Game Boys—swapping out screens, cleaning corroded battery compartments, and giving them new life. She’s also into 3D printing and recently built a Chip-8 emulator in JavaScript, with plans to build a Game Boy emulator next.
How does she learn all this? Trial and error. “Buy the cheap tools, watch YouTube, ask dumb questions on Reddit,” she says. “Just don’t start with your childhood Game Boy—you might break the first one.”
The Power of Small Communities
Sara draws a sharp contrast between hobbyist spaces and mainstream tech. Retro gaming and 3D printing communities are welcoming and generous. “There’s no VC money in fixing Game Boys,” she jokes. “People help you because they love it.”
She misses the early days of JavaScript and Rust communities, where people showed up out of passion, not because their company paid for a booth. “The smaller the community, the more approachable it is.”
What’s Next for Sara?
This year, Sara’s goals are refreshingly hands-on: improve her 3D printing setup (ideally with multi-color prints), and use what she learned from building the Chip-8 emulator to create a working Game Boy emulator.
She and her partner also plan to sell a few refurbished Game Boys at a retro game market in London. It’s less about profit, more about joy. “It’s just a bunch of nerds having fun. That’s how you know you’re in the right place.”
Follow Sara Vieira
- 💻 GitHub: https://github.com/saravieira
- 🌀 Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/nikkitaftw.wtf
- 🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/NikkitaFTW
The post Sara Vieira on Game Boys, JavaScript, and Community appeared first on Semaphore.
