Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

Scott and Wes explore the experimental world of running TypeScript in Node, breaking down the differences between type stripping and compiling. They cover the pros, cons, and quirks of the current implementation, plus explore tools like tsx, ts-node, and even alternatives like Deno. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:41 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:29 Running TypeScript in Node. 01:45 Exper...

Wes and Scott talk about the State of JavaScript survey, tends, popular features, and the evolving landscape of tools and frameworks. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:27 Brought to you by Sentry.io 01:16 The state of JavaScript Twitter fantasy football 02:27 Syntax features The State of JavaScript survey 05:27 Logical assignment 07:49 Strings 08:18 Arrays 14:16 Sets 2025 New Years resolution...

What’s the deal with Zero Sync? Scott and Wes dive into this cutting-edge database tech, exploring its real-time interactivity, blazing-fast performance, and how it stacks up against the competition. Plus, they break down setup, querying, authentication, and whether it’s ready for prime time. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:59 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:21 Today’s agenda. 02:52 What is...

Scott and Wes look into their crystal ball to predict what’s coming in web development next year. From the rise of on-device AI to the vanilla CSS comeback, Bun’s big moves, and React’s evolution, this episode is packed with bold predictions and hot takes! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:00 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:09 The agenda. 03:40 Temporal Javascript api will ship in Safari and...

Scott and Wes challenge each other’s knowledge on everything from array sorting quirks to browser isolation types in a rapid-fire trivia format. They dive deep into performance optimizations, TypeScript type safety, and HTML best practices while uncovering surprising edge cases that every web developer should know about. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:43 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:23...

Scott and Wes ring in the new year, answering listener questions on the rise of durable objects, handling tricky tab state in e-commerce apps, and their top picks for headless CMS. They also chat about the future of CSS, deployment platforms, and whether Syntax beanies might finally be a thing! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:52 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:10 What Are Durable Objects? 0...

Scott and Wes look back at 2024 and share highlights from a big year for Syntax and the web dev world. They review their 2024 predictions to see what they got right (and wrong), and break down the major moments in web development from CSS improvements to AI editors and beyond. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:30 Changes to the Syntax podcast. 05:56 What happened this year? 06:07 React. 06:36...

Is Svelte becoming React? Scott and Wes explore the exciting updates in Svelte 5, including Runes, Snippets, odd font choices, and performance benchmarks, while discussing custom event updates, migration tips, and potential performance gains. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! Scott’s Svelte5 Overview. 01:27 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:06 What’s new in Svelte 5? 02:13 Runes. 04:47 $state 07:0...

Scott and Wes dive into the world of local data storage, breaking down the pros and cons of Sqlite, LocalStorage, SessionStorage, Cookies, and IndexedDB. They cover real-world use cases like user settings, offline data, and auth tokens, while sharing their favorite tools and strategies for keeping your data fast and secure. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:30 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:...

Wes and Scott talk with Zack Jackson about Module Federation, and the innovative ways it streamlines collaboration across large teams and complex applications. Zack also dives into simplifying microfrontends, optimizing builds with Rspack, and his work at ByteDance. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:48 Zach background and role at ByteDance 03:10 ByteDance’s web and native apps How ByteDance B...

Scott and Wes break down the tech behind video streaming for the web, from transcoding and variants to CDN and access control. They also share insights on tools like Mux, Cloudflare Stream, and ffmpeg, plus tips for managing bandwidth, hosting, and costs. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:50 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:15 The history of video streaming. 02:10 How video streaming works: Th...

Want to level up your web dev game? Scott and Wes share their top tips for going deeper with your learning—covering everything from reading the docs and source code to finding mentorship and engaging with the community. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:48 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:54 How do you go deeper? 04:23 Pick a project and build it. 06:36 Read the docs. Svelte Docs. 09:07 Read t...

Wes and Scott talk with Syntax Producer Randy Rektor. From mastering mic technique to lighting hacks and choosing the right camera, they discuss the best ways to upgrade your audio and video setup on any budget. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 03:01 Brought to you by Sentry.io 04:14 Understanding signal-to-noise ratio 06:48 Using de-noise iZotope Voice De-noise 09:12 The importance of mic tech...

Scott and Wes dive into your questions on Hono and SvelteKit, partitioned cookies, redirect codes, and using Rspack instead of Vite. Plus, they share insights on quoting projects, interview best practices, and whether you should slow down those speedy loading spinners. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:50 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:23 Apple developer accounts and certificates. 06:58 Hono...

Scott and Wes dive into the Speculation Rules API and why it’s a game-changer for building blazing-fast websites. They break down how pre-loading, prefetching, and pre-connecting work together to boost performance while weighing the costs for both users and developers. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:49 Pre-loading, prefetching, and pre-connecting. CSS Wizardy. CSS Wizardy on GitHub. 02:06...

Wes and Scott talk with Matt Perry, the creator of Motion (formerly Framer Motion). Matt discusses building intuitive tools, transitioning Motion to open source, and the future of web animation. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:15 The Framer Motion story Motion 05:16 What’s the status of Framer Motion today? 09:08 What tech is Motion built on? 13:40 Is Motion entirely WAAPI? 16:06 Why hasn’t...

Scott and Wes dive into the State of Frontend 2024 Survey, breaking down the latest trends, tools, and frameworks shaping the developer ecosystem. Tune in as they react to hot takes on frameworks, state management, hosting, and what’s next for frontend devs! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:53 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:15 About the survey. Follow along! State of Frontend Survey 02:10 F...

Explore the power of Cloudflare Tunnels with Scott and Wes as they break down this essential tool for secure remote server access. Learn how to establish and configure tunnels safely, integrate public webhooks with services like Snipcart and Apple Pay, and master the security practices that keep your connections protected. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:17 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:0...

Wes and Scott talk with Cassidy Williams and Harald Kirschner about exciting new features in VS Code and GitHub Copilot, including custom instructions, UI/UX improvements, and the future of AI and Copilot within different editors. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:32 Cassidy’s keynote at GitHub Universe 03:23 New Copilot features 04:55 Use cases for prompt engineering 09:20 UI and UX enhancem...

Scott and Wes serve up state management in JavaScript, breaking down key concepts like reactive state, state updaters, and global vs local state. They also explore various approaches and libraries, mutation-based state, and tools like Zustand and xState, to help you manage state like a pro. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:22 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:10 What is state? 03:29 Common sta...

You’ve got a project, and you need the right tool—but how do you know if that JavaScript package is the one? Scott and Wes guide you through finding and validating packages, from checking NPM to scoping out social proof, so you can pick tools you can trust. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:29 Brought to you by Sentry.io. Take The Pledge 01:44 How to find a JS package. 02:56 Searching via NPM...

Scott and Wes talk with Scott Jehl about the benefits, challenges, and use cases of web components, particularly in design systems and performance. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:55 Scott’s background and career Responsible Responsive Design Webpagetest.org 06:46 An overview of web components 09:06 Why should people care about web components? 13:16 Should you write your own web components?...

Scott and Wes are back with their annual Syntax Holiday Gift Guide! They’ve curated the best gadgets, tools, games, and even kitchen essentials for the dev in your life — plus a few treats anyone would love to unwrap. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:46 Brought to you by Sentry.io. Open Source Pledge Members. 01:59 Syntax holiday gift guide. 02:25 Our absolute favorites. Leatherman Arc. Peak...

Scott and Wes unpack their experiences as electric car owners, sharing the highs and lows of making the switch. From range anxiety to charging infrastructure and cost savings, they talk about everything from the tech perks to the unexpected challenges of driving electric. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:11 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:14 What cars and how long have we had them. Hyundai I...

Scott and Wes talk with Taylor Desseyn about the shifting developer job market. Taylor shares practical tips for standing out, building genuine connections, and finding opportunities in a competitive hiring landscape. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:38 Meet Taylor Desseyn 03:51 Is the dev job market as bad as it seems? 06:47 How to stand out when applying for a dev job? 11:03 Who is getting...