Wes and Scott talk with Chad Whitacre, the newest member of the Syntax team, about all things open source—licenses, controversies, economics, and ethics. Chad breaks down what most people misunderstand, and how companies can support sustainable software development the right way. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:39 Meet Chad Whitacre 03:39 Chad’s retro headphones Retrospekt 05:00 Chad’s role at Syntax https://syntax.fm/oss Open Path 09:41 What do people get wrong about open source? 11:11 W...
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Scott and Wes break down the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a new open standard that gives AI agents secure, tool-like access to your dev environment. They cover how it works, why it’s a big deal for AI coding workflows, and real-world use cases like GitHub, Sentry, and YouTube. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:49 The lore of ICP. Wes MCP Shirt . 03:09 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 03:33 What is MCP ? 05:06 The steps of AI coding. 07:11 MCP hosts. 07:28 MCP clients. 07:35 MCP servers. 08:24...
Apr 14, 2025•34 min
Wes and Scott talk about the origins of Syntax, sharing how a friendly course name conflict led to a mastermind group, then a podcast, and eventually a full-blown media brand. They also reflect on key milestones, from early episodes and sponsorships to joining Sentry, expanding the team, and what’s next. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:51 How Wes and Scott met Scott Tolinski & The Origins of LevelUpTuts LevelUpTutorials WesBos.com 09:31 How Syntax got its name Episode 001: React Tools 15:...
Apr 09, 2025•55 min
Light mode? Dark mode? Scott and Wes break down the best ways to implement theme switching in CSS, from prefers-color-scheme to manual overrides. Plus, tips on handling shadows, icons, and the dreaded flash of dark mode! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:05 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 02:06 Light and dark mode, things to consider. 02:31 Light and dark mode from scratch. drop-in.css . 04:41 Calculations vs assigned color. 05:32 color-mix and relative color. 08:15 Foreground and background ...
Apr 07, 2025•27 min
Wes and Scott talk about the ins and outs of accepting payments online—from choosing processors like Stripe and PayPal to handling fraud, taxes, custom checkouts, and more. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:34 Payment processors Stripe PayPal Square Authorize.net 09:29 Checkouts 18:22 The checkout flow 23:10 Methods of accepting money 25:30 Brought to you by Sentry.io 28:34 Merchant of Record Lemon Squeezy Gumroad Paddle Beacons 32:51 Handling fraud, disputes, and refunds 41:25 Sick Picks +...
Apr 02, 2025•46 min
Scott and Wes talk about the planning process for a major redesign of the Syntax.fm website. They share their thoughts on organizing tasks, choosing tech, handling styling, and the debates that come with deciding what to keep and what to change. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:36 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 02:48 Why we need version 3.0 of Syntax.fm . Level Up Tutorials , Travis Neilson . 04:41 Project planning and organization. 05:53 The codebase. 09:50 The CSS changes. Episode 770: De...
Mar 31, 2025•30 min
Mar 26, 2025•53 min
Is Vibe Coding the future of software development or just a fun way to experiment? Scott and Wes talk about coding with AI, the risks of ignoring the details, and the cool (and sometimes cursed) projects they’ve Vibe Coded. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:31 “Personal Software”. 01:30 What exactly is Vibe Coding. 02:46 The challenges of coding with AI. Levelsio Airplane Game . 04:49 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 05:39 Vibe coding quality concerns. 07:25 Vibe Coding as a learning tool. 10:...
Mar 24, 2025•17 min
Wes and Scott talk about Infrastructure as Code and how SST makes deploying to AWS easier than ever. They dive into SST’s features, developer experience, and how it simplifies managing services like databases, email, and more. Plus, insights on Cloudflare integration, auto-scaling, and real-world use cases. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! Supper Club × Next.js on AWS + Serverless with Dax Raad 02:37 Brought to you by Sentry.io 04:52 Intro to SST config SST AWS 05:40 Overview of Scott’s SST c...
Mar 19, 2025•40 min
Scott and Wes dig into the wild world of CSS fonts—covering fallbacks, variable fonts, and new tricks like text-box-trim. They also break down font-display, font kits, and how to avoid layout shifts when loading custom type. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:06 Brought to you by Sentry.io . Damnit Sans . 02:53 @font-face. 03:27 Font Display . 07:40 Avoiding layout shift. Fallbacks . 10:45 Variable fonts. Fontaine . font-kit Wakamai Fondue . Syntax Ep. 782 . Font Variation Settings . 16:23 V...
Mar 17, 2025•23 min
Wes and Scott talk with Anders Hejlsberg and Daniel Rosenwasser about TypeScript’s leap to native code. They discuss the challenges, trade-offs, and the decision to port TypeScript to Go, unlocking faster compilation, better concurrency, and new possibilities for AI-assisted development. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:38 TypeScript compiler goes native 05:24 Challenges in rebuilding TypeScript 08:49 How long has this been in development? 10:32 What does porting TypeScript to native entai...
Mar 11, 2025•1 hr 9 min
What are Web Vitals, and why should you care? Scott and Wes break down metrics like LCP, FCP, CLS, and INP, explaining what they measure, how they impact your site’s performance, and how to track them yourself. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 03:26 What each web vital means. Web Vitals Playground . 03:38 LCP - Largest Contentful Paint. 05:04 FCP - First Contentful Paint. 06:07 CLS - Cumulative Layout Shift. 10:58 INP - Interaction to Next Paint. 13:43 Measuring the impact. 14:22 TTFB - Time ...
Mar 10, 2025•23 min
Wes and Scott talk with Aaron Francis about Fusion for Laravel, a new way to seamlessly integrate PHP into JavaScript. They discuss how Fusion expands on Inertia, its potential for React support, and how it simplifies full-stack development. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:22 Aaron’s background in PHP Yii Laravel 02:27 What is Fusion for Laravel? Fusion for Laravel 09:14 How Fusion works 13:57 The benefits of Laravel 19:18 Invalidation and caching 25:20 Brought to you by Sentry.io 25:32 O...
Mar 05, 2025•54 min
Scott and Wes answer your listener questions! They debate Axios vs. Fetch, discuss whether Next.js is overkill without a backend, talk htmx and Alpine, dive into tech career transitions, and tackle everything from podcast ads to password hashing myths. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:55 Scott’s health update. 04:11 Submit your questions . 04:26 Is Axios still worth using over Fetch? shiki . xior . ky . 10:17 Does Alpine.js solve HTMX’s client-side limitations? Syntax Ep. 868: The State of...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Wes and CJ talk with Paulus Schoutsen, creator of Home Assistant, about the future of smart homes, AI-powered automation, and open-source innovation. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:29 What is Home Assistant? 03:32 Web Components in Home Assistant Home Assistant Frontend 10:41 Home Assistant’s stability and longevity 17:05 Is Home Assistant the biggest open-source project using web components? 20:03 How does the native app work? 23:34 Code sharing between Android and iOS 24:17 Self-hostin...
Feb 26, 2025•59 min
Wes and CJ break down everything Cloudflare—from Workers and R2 Storage to Hyperdrive and AI Gateway. Get the scoop on what makes Cloudflare tick, the quirks of their ecosystem, and whether vendor lock-in is a real concern. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:40 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 01:58 What we’re talking about today. 02:48 Cloudflare Workers. 03:06 How Cloudflare Workers… work. 04:39 How Cloudflare Workers run. 06:05 Workers size limitations in JavaScript. 07:37 Cloudflare has the...
Feb 24, 2025•59 min
Wes and Scott talk with Daniel Roe about Nuxt and Nitro, demystifying the UnJS ecosystem, serverless deployments, open-source sustainability, and the future of full-stack web development. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:52 Daniel’s work with Nitro Nitro 06:01 What’s the connection between Nitro and Nuxt? Nuxt 09:23 What makes something an UnJS package? UnJS 12:55 Nitro’s built-in features 18:21 What would Daniel use to build an app today? Cloudflare Vercel Netlify 28:01 Brought to you by ...
Feb 19, 2025•58 min
Tailwind 4.0 is here, and Scott and Wes break down all the spicy new features, from CSS-powered configs to first-class container queries. Plus, they dig into Tailwind Oxide, @property magic, and whether it’s finally time to stop asking, “Why not just use normal CSS?” Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:16 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 01:03 Tailwind 4. Tailwind CSS V4.0 Blog . 02:53 Wes’ favorite new feature. 05:45 @property. CSS Houdini API . 07:28 The config is now a CSS file. 08:25 Tailwin...
Feb 17, 2025•25 min
Wes and Scott talk about the Web Audio and Web MIDI APIs, diving into how they enable powerful music and sound manipulation in the browser. They explore MIDI messaging, synthesizing audio, creative coding with music, and share hands-on projects, tips, and libraries to get started. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:17 Brought to you by Sentry.io 02:04 Fun audio experiments Bebot 05:32 What is MIDI? Web MIDI API 14:18 Advanced examples with WEBMIDI.js WEBMIDI.js 17:02 Outputting MIDI messages...
Feb 12, 2025•49 min
JavaScript is missing a built-in way to make variables reactive—but Signals might change that. Scott and Wes break down what Signals are, how they compare to React state, and how different frameworks like Preact, Solid, Vue, and Qwik are already using them. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:49 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 02:28 Why JavaScript needs reactive variables. 03:16 What exactly are signals? Signals Proposal . 04:02 Understanding computed state. 04:59 How signals differ from React ...
Feb 10, 2025•16 min
Is your app feeling sluggish? Scott and Wes break down the biggest performance bottlenecks—like bloated assets, slow databases, and waterfall requests—and share easy wins to make your site feel lightning fast. From smarter caching to preloading tricks, these tips will have your app zipping along in no time! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:58 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 02:01 What makes apps slow? 02:10 Loading too much. 03:26 Slow database work. 04:04 Slow server. 04:54 Waterfall reques...
Feb 05, 2025•55 min
Wes and Scott talk about the standard schema for data validation, a collective effort by various library authors to create a unified interface. They discuss the benefits, how it works, and its impact on developers and libraries. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:24 Brought to you by Sentry.io 02:44 What is Standard Schema and how does it work? Standard Schema Spec Fabian Hiller Valibot David Blass ArkType Colin McDonnell Zod 06:00 Benefits of Standard Schema 08:54 Implementation and usage 1...
Feb 03, 2025•14 min
Wes and Scott answer questions about HTML semantics, TypeScript, adapting to AI’s impact on web development, and the best and worst browsers for developers. They also tackle project planning, deploying SvelteKit apps, and navigating online opinions in tech. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:04 Best container element for a grid of products? 04:50 TypeScript null checks 09:44 Adapt to AI or get left behind Syntax Episode 870 13:13 Why did 3D never take off? three.js React Three Fiber Rep Fitn...
Jan 29, 2025•58 min
Scott and Wes explore the world of coding agents, diving into tools like Cursor and Windsurf that promise to change how we write and manage code. They discuss modes, workflows, and practical tips for experimenting with these AI-powered tools in your next project. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 04:12 What are AI Agents? Cursor Features , Windsurf Features . 07:25 Brought to you by Sentry.io . 07:50 Chat Mode. 08:11 Composer Mode. 08:55 Agent Mode. 10:03 Inline Chat Mode. 11:02 JavaScript Set...
Jan 27, 2025•27 min
Wes and Scott talk with Kevin Hou and Varun Mohan from Windsurf about the evolving landscape of AI in coding, and the future of software development. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:50 The origins of Windsurf and Codeium Windsurf Codeium Vs Code Cursor 03:14 Rethinking IDE UX 05:45 Will Microsoft eventually implement these AI features in VS Code? 09:27 The "agentic" editor concept 17:58 The future of software development with AI 24:37 AI in large codebases 28:22 Brought to you by Sentry.i...
Jan 22, 2025•58 min
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 Experimental Type Stripping. 03:17 TypeScript refresher. 04:05 TypeScript can be compiled and/or Type St...
Jan 20, 2025•18 min
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: use maps and sets more and objects / arrays less. 16:10 Browser APIs 22:50 Library tiers list 27:2...
Jan 15, 2025•1 hr 3 min
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 Zero Sync? The Docs . InstantDB . 07:02 Zerobugs loading speed. 11:04 Real-time interactivity. 11:...
Jan 13, 2025•29 min
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 Chrome. Temporal Proposal . 06:23 On device AI. WebGPU API Dawn Native WebGPU 10:26 Models will pla...
Jan 08, 2025•53 min
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 Question 1: Array Sort Default Behavior. 03:24 Question 2: Splitting Into Individual Words & Charac...
Jan 06, 2025•36 min
