Scott and Wes answer your burning questions! They cover everything from moving off create-react-app and the benefits of Next.js, to transitioning from junior to senior dev, working with QA teams, and even dive into game development with Godot. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:31 DenverScript. 03:14 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:54 Question 1: Moving off create-react-app. Proposal: TC39 Import Attributes. HTML iframe srcdoc Attribute. 09:10 Question 2: Working together with...

From CAPTCHAs to shadow banning, Scott and Wes break down the best strategies for keeping your app safe from spam and fraud. They cover tools like email verification, rate limiting, shadow banning, and more to protect your users and data. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:15 The problem. 02:47 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 04:23 CAPTCHA. 06:24 Data collection. 07:11 Stripe Radar score calculation. 09:12 Rate limiting. 11:34 Shadow banning. 13:53 Email verification. 15:38 Tie...

Scott and Wes talk with GitHub’s Sarah Vessels about the ins and outs of code reviews, their critical role in collaborative development, and tips for making your reviews more effective. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:59 What is a code review? How to review code effectively: A GitHub staff engineer’s philosophy 04:18 Strategies for an effective code review processes 06:59 Should you test and fix in the same pull request? 07:57 How to ask for code reviews 12:12 Feature...

Scott and Wes share 14 game-changing tips they wish they’d known earlier in their web dev careers. From embracing tools to learning by doing, these insights will help you level up your skills faster! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:09 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:45 13 Web Development Tips I Wish I Knew Sooner. 03:49 Number 1 - No one is all-knowing. 05:39 Number 2 - People with extremely strong opinions. 11:13 Number 3 - Using tools to help you isn’t a bad thing. 12:34...

Scott and Wes serve up the pros and cons of modern authentication methods like magic links, 2FA, and SMS codes. Learn how each technique works, the security trade-offs, and what might be the best approach for your apps. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:11 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 00:34 Logging in Verification. 01:09 Magic Links. 01:24 Pros of magic links. 03:50 How magic links work. 04:25 Cons to magic links. 06:21 Magic Sessions. 06:37 Using email verification. ...

Scott and Wes talk with Topher Martini, a former Engineering Program Manager at Apple, about his extensive experience over two decades in the tech industry. Topher shares his journey at Apple, from starting as an intern in 2001 to working on groundbreaking products like iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:40 What it was like working on the first iPhone 04:47 How Topher landed at Apple early in his career 08:40 How Apple’s culture has changed over time ...

In part 2 of covering the best apps for web developers, Scott and Wes dive into must-have tools that will level up your workflow. From screenshot utilities to development tools and video production apps, this episode is packed with recommendations to boost your productivity and creativity. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:44 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:30 Utilities. 02:48 BetterTouchTool. 09:31 Hyperkey. 11:46 Amethyst. 12:51 Klack. 13:47 Bottom (Btm). 14:54 Pearcleaner ...

Scott walks Wes through the new Syntax Production Assistant Desktop App, designed to streamline and automate their complex publishing process. From tech stack choices like Svelte5 and Rust to AI-driven features, they dive into how this tool keeps everything consistent. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:44 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:37 What was the idea? 05:42 The tech. Svelte5, Tauri, Rust, FFMPEG. 08:32 Markdown editor. ink-mde, Dillinger. 09:32 Epoch timestamps. ...

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk with Taylor Otwell, the creator of Laravel. Taylor shares insights on his journey from creating Laravel in his free time to building a strong community and user base. He discusses Laravel’s growth, including the major features and tools that were developed over the years. Taylor also shares his outlook on the PHP ecosystem, productivity tips, and plans for Laravel Cloud, a new deployment platform for PHP and Laravel applications. Show Notes ...

Scott and Wes serve up a discussion on AI coding assistants with a deep look at Cursor AI, exploring its unique features like multi-line auto-complete and Smart Rewrites. They also discuss why Cursor’s intuitive UI stands out and tackle the big question: is it worth the investment? Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:16 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:48 Handling objections around AI assistants. 02:55 Context windows and how they’re improving functionality. Syntax.fm Episode 728...

Wes unveils his Hack-Week project —a thermal printer controlled by JavaScript that prints out Sentry.io errors in real-time. Scott and Wes dive into the nitty-gritty of how it works, from the ESC/POS protocol to tackling socket issues, and whether the project was worth the effort. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:38 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:10 What is Hack Week? 01:41 The project. Follow the posts on X. 02:40 Why a receipt printer? 03:55 How do these printers work? ...

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk with Daniel Thompson-Yvetot about Tauri. They dive into what Tauri is, the motivations behind its development, its open-source ecosystem, use cases, and more. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:01 What is Tauri? 02:59 What’s new in Tauri 2.0? 06:41 The benefits of Tauri over Electron 11:28 Can you use Node? 14:21 Mac, Linux, and Windows Verso Servo 25:05 How does Tauri make money? CrabNebula 30:05 Brought to you by Sentry.io...

In this Potluck episode of Syntax, Scott and Wes answer your questions, from weighing the trade-offs between numerous small npm packages and a few larger ones to managing the challenges of work-from-home life. They also explore CSS modules, strategies for shrinking JavaScript bundles, and even where to find the best replacement ear cups for your headphones. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:38 Commentating basketball. 01:16 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:09 The video podcast...

Scott and Wes serve up a hasty discussion on side projects, sharing their latest Hack Week experiments and tips on how to turn fun ideas into profitable ventures. They cover everything from finding inspiration to choosing the right tech, and even offer advice on how to finish what you start. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:11 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:27 Wes’ Hack Week project. 02:30 Scott’s Hack Week project. 04:18 Where do you get ideas for side projects? 09:22 End...

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk with CJ Reynolds about the resurgence of meetups in a post-COVID world. They discuss the benefits of attending and speaking at meetups, and the logistics of organizing them. CJ also shares his experiences running the DenverScript meetup, including sourcing speakers, finding venues, and ensuring a welcoming community. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:35 Brought to you by Sentry.io 01:49 CJ’s history hosting meetups DenverScript Code...

Scott and Wes kick off part 1 of a 2-part series, breaking down 30 must-have apps for web developers and productivity enthusiasts. From file management tools to media utilities, they cover everything you need to supercharge your workflow. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:03 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:27 File management applications. 01:43 DaisyDisk. 04:19 Marta. 07:50 EasyFind. 10:16 Czkawka. 12:53 Backblaze. 14:40 Hazel. 17:42 AutoMounter. 18:43 Media applications....

Scott and Wes break down why your CSS might suck—from misusing specificity to not leveraging CSS variables. Tune in as they dive into common pitfalls that are making your stylesheets a hot mess. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:33 Breakdancing in the Olympics. 05:29 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 05:44 Why your CSS sucks. 07:01 You’re styling the wrong element. 11:01 Nesting too deep. 12:37 You don’t understand specificity. 14:56 Your classes don’t use a system. 16:24 You’re...

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk about HTML fundamentals — from basic structure and semantics to practical tips for better accessibility and SEO. They also discuss the difference between block and inline elements, form functionalities, HTML5 elements like dialog and canvas, and more. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:33 Brought to you by Sentry.io 03:25 Why HTML is important 06:52 Semantic vs non-semantic 07:58 The basic structure of an HTML page HTML elements...

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk about CSS’ new scroll-driven animations, its implementation, uses, and potential pitfalls. They also discuss animation-timeline and animation-range, and how they can be utilized to control animations based on scroll positions. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:46 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:35 Scroll-driven animations. Syntax 695: 5 New CSS Features You Should Know Scroll-driven animations demos and tools. 04:13 @keyframes. ...

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk with Una Kravetz and Adam Argyle from Google Chrome about the evolution of CSS, new features, and the push toward more advanced UI capabilities on the web. They discuss the introduction of CSS versioning, exciting new properties like text-box-trim, state queries, and scroll state functionalities, select, and more! Show Notes 00:00 - Welcome to Syntax!. 01:43 - Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:19 - The evolution of CSS. 04:07 - CSS versioning...

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk about the latest features in Node.js, including native support for TypeScript, .env parsing, a built-in test runner, watch mode, SQLite integration, glob support, and top-level await. They also discuss some wishlist items, and experimental features like WebSocket support and the require module. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:13 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:37 Node.js new features. Deno. Bun. 02:51 TypeScript. tsx. ...

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk about the latest CSS theming properties and techniques for better controlling light and dark modes, as well as creating comprehensive color systems for applications and websites. Make sure to check out the video version of this episode for practical code examples, and explanations of light/dark function, CSS variables, meta tags for theme colors, accent color, color mix, and upcoming features like style queries and color contrast. Show Notes ...

In this episode of Syntax, Scott and Wes talk with Daily.dev’s Francesco Ciulla about the platform's history, community features, and significant growth. They dive into the core ideas behind daily.dev, including its personalized feed for developers, new features like squads, community contributions, and tech stack. Francesco also shares his passion for Rust, and highlights the importance of content creation in the ever-evolving tech landscape. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!...

In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about the future of JavaScript frameworks, building custom authentication systems, limiting API access, using Caddy server proxy for local development, component props in JSX, structuring a relational database, and more! Show Notes 00:00 - Welcome to Syntax! 01:48 - Brought to you by Sentry.io 04:37 - The future of JavaScript frameworks 09:09 - How to use Caddy for local development SvelteKit Vite 14:27 - When...

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk about CSS components, including class-based components, CSS modules, scoped CSS, utility CSS, and CSS-in-JS strategies. They share their thoughts, what differentiates these approaches, and why you may (or may not) want to use them. Show Notes 00:00 - Welcome to Syntax! 01:30 - Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:11 - What makes a good CSS component system? 07:54 - Component vs part of a component 13:26 - CSS Modules 15:56 - Scoped CSS @scope...