In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about maintaining popular open-source projects, where to start after a layoff, impostor syndrome, Scott’s recording setup, whether a computer science degree is still worth it in the age of AI, and more!
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:44 Brought to you bySentry.io
04:16 How to maintain a successful NPM package
08:03 What to do in Denver while attending Laracon
11:18 How to branch out and learn new frameworks while balancing work life and family
15:55 Built-in state management vs external state managementFull Stack App Build | Travel Log w/ Nuxt, Vue, Better Auth, Drizzle, Tailwind, DaisyUI, MapLibre
19:43 Suggestion for CSS battles: Removing white space and new lines after the time limit?
23:06 What is Scott’s recording setup?
Aputure Light Dome
Aputure Amaran 150c
Sony FX3
Electro-Voice RE20
27:46 Snake case vs camel caseEye Tracking Study on camelCase and under_score Identifier Styles
31:16 Have you ever had impostor syndrome?
34:56 Is a degree worth it for computer science or machine learning?
38:41 Should I use a reverse proxy server?Ep 798: Self Hosting: Reverse Proxy Servers
42:03 Where to start when updating your webdev skillset
50:11 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs
Sick Picks
Scott:Cardboard Cutter
Wes:Kitchen Scissors
Shameless Plugs
Syntax YouTube Channel
Hit us up on Socials!
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58:24
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58:24
915: $200mo Background Agents, CLI Tooling and “Max Mode”
AI coding agents are getting wild. Scott and Wes break down the latest tools that run in the background, write code across multiple steps, and charge you $200 a month to do it. From CLI-based primitives to full-on copilots, this episode covers the next wave of dev tools and what it takes to use them effectively.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
03:13 Background Agents.
04:26 Appropriate tasks for background agents.
12:46 CLI tooling.
14:17 Claude Code Pricing.
18:20 Approaches to get the most from these tools.
19:56 PRD Documents.
Atlasian What’s a PRD Document.
20:50 Claude Taskmaster.
Langflow.
25:29 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.
Sick Picks
Scott: RingConn.
Wes: Dell Projector
Shameless Plugs
Scott: Syntax on YouTube.
Hit us up on Socials!
Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
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33:37
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33:37
914: 5 Upcoming + Next Gen JavaScript Features
Wes and Scott talk about the latest JavaScript proposals from TC39, including features like import defer, the powerful new random namespace, Array.fromAsync, and native clamp and upsert methods. They break down what’s coming, why it matters, and how it might improve your code.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
02:55 Brought to you by Sentry.io
05:37 Import Defer
proposal-defer-import-eval
proposal-deferred-reexports
Rob Palmer
09:30 Random Functions
proposal-random-functions
proposal-seeded-random
18:32 Array from Async
proposal-array-from-async
20:56 Upsert for Maps
proposal-upsert
23:13 Clamp
proposal-math-clamp
27:02 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs
Sick Picks
Scott: Anker Max USB 4-Port
Wes: Clarkson’s Farm
Hit us up on Socials!
Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
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33:44
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33:44
913: NEWS: Remix drops React, Safari 26 CSS + mega fast Vite and TypeSCript
Wes and CJ break down the latest web dev news, including big changes in Safari 26, TypeScript Native Previews, and Remix dropping React. They also chat about new proposals from TC39, Vite 7 beta, and a surprise project from the Astro team.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:41 Safari WWDC.
01:05 SVG Favicons.
02:01 Every site can be a web app on iOS and iPadOS.
03:08 WebGPU in Safari.
08:02 Lots of CSS goodies.
@Una Tweet.
10:19 Remix 3 dropping React.
Wake Up Remix.
@mjackson Tweet.
17:40 Typescript Native Preview.
@drosenwasser Tweet.
Microsoft Blog: Announcing TypeScript Native Previews.
20:53 Cursor 1.0.
29:12 TC39 Advances Several Proposals to Stage 4.
29:51 Array.fromAsync.
31:15 Error.isError.
32:14 Explicit Resource Management: using.
36:53 Astro Creators working on an email client.
@FredKSchott Tweet.
39:23 Announcing Rolldown-Vite.
Voidzero.
Compatibility.
44:43 Vite 7 in Beta.
46:04 Angular v20 Released.
47:30 Take the State of CSS Survey!
48:40 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
Hit us up on Socials!
Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
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50:11
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50:11
912: Why did Figma buy a CMS?
Wes chats with James Mikrut, founder of Payload CMS, about being acquired by Figma! They discuss building an open source business, the future of UI design, AI interfaces, and what this means for the future of Payload and Figma.
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax.
01:06 What is Payload CMS?
01:56 The big announcement.
03:03 Why does Figma want a CMS?
05:23 This has got to be about AI, right?
09:37 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
10:02 What will the interface be?
14:02 Generative, user-specific UI.
16:17 Agents make everything look like ShadCN.
18:18 What does this mean for Payload users?
20:23 How this improves Payload.
22:31 Trying to stand out as a CMS.
23:35 Is this going to cost users?
25:12 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.
Sick Picks
James: Triumph Street Triple, Malört Liquor.
Shameless Plugs
James: PayloadCMS.
Hit us up on Socials!
Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
Full Stack Developers Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski dive deep into web development topics, explaining how they work and talking about their own experiences. They cover from JavaScript frameworks like React, to the latest advancements in CSS to simplifying web tooling.
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