823: Is Cursor AI the VS Code Killer?

enSeptember 18, 2024

822: Receipt Printer with JavaScript

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?
- ESC/POS.
05:20 Communicating with the printer.
07:24 ESC/POS Encoder.
ESC/POS Encoder.
08:42 Socket issues.
09:56 Using Transformers.js to stop ‘toxic comments’.
- Xenova’s toxic-bert.
- Implementation in Wes’ code.
10:48 Back to socket issues.
12:18 Integrating with Sentry.
15:01 Printing images with Playwright.
16:17 Was it worth it?

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enSeptember 16, 2024

821: Is Tauri the Electron Killer?

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
30:30 Accessing Swift from JavaScript
31:44 What’s the hardest part of a project like this?
- Haptics Plugin
37:00 Some of the apps that have shipped with Tauri
43:18 The future of Tauri
50:23 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

Daniel: 5secondfilms

Shameless Plugs

Guest: Manufacturing European Software (Coming Soon)

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enSeptember 13, 2024

820: Potluck: 8000 ESLint Errors × HTML Time Tag × 7 Meg React Bundle × CSS Modules

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 doesn’t translate well to audio.
04:08 Many small npm packages vs a few large.
09:55 Developers dealing with WFH, ADHD, and kids.
15:59 CSS modules for scoping styles to components.
20:55 Scoped CSS in React?
23:21 Reducing JS bundle sizes.
- Bundle Phobia.
- Javascript Bundle Analysis [Beta].
29:44 Balancing learning, doing, and teaching.
33:04 Making maps local first.
36:20 How to pronounce ‘schema’.
- Wes Bos Tweet.
37:09 HTML tag.
40:11 Where to get replacement ear cups for headphones?
- wickedcussions.
- Scott’s Audeze Headphones.
42:21 ESLint and hiding errors.
48:48 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.

Sick Picks

Scott: Allen Wrench Set.
Wes: Clarkson’s Farm – Amazon Prime.

Shameless Plugs

Wes: Syntax.fm, YouTube

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enSeptember 11, 2024

819: Fun & Profitable Side Projects for Developers

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 goals for a side project.
14:47 Other end goals.
16:45 What tech should you use?
- drop-in.
20:34 Keeping notes.
23:14 Finishing side projects.
26:39 Shameless Plugisode!

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enSeptember 09, 2024

818: CJ × Hosting Meetups - Lunch and Learn

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 Talent
06:35 How do you structure a meetup?
09:50 How do you raise awareness for a meetup and get people to attend?
- Meetup.com
- Guild
13:27 How to pay for a meetup
15:22 How to get speakers at meetups
16:50 The length of these talks
17:03 Does live-streaming hurt attendance?
- Syntax 806 - The King of Drag and Drop: Alex Reardon
19:32 Is there a vetting process for finding speakers?
- Syntax 019 - How to Get Into Speaking at Conferences
24:26 A meetup doesn’t have to be talks
- Develop Happy Hour
27:48 What’s the worst part about hosting a meetup?
29:37 What was your first meetup like?
33:27 What’s the best meetup you’ve been to and why?
37:10 How to be a good attendee
40:45 Are meetups back?
44:00 Tips for organizing a great meetup
45:29 How to find a meetup
47:37 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

CJ: Fillo’s Walking Tamales

Shameless Plugs

CJ:
- DenverScript
- You Should Use Hono in your Next Project

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enSeptember 06, 2024

817: You Need These 30 Apps - PART 1

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.
- 18:52 Automator HIEC to JPG.
- 20:04 Rant on QuickView.
- 20:32 DVD idea.
- 22:06 IINA.
- 24:07 Capture One.
- 25:02 YouTube Enhance.
- 27:16 HandBrake.
- 28:05 MakeMKV.
- 30:33 Overkill for Mac.
- 33:42 Search by Image.
- 37:09 eqMac.
37:37 Utility applications.
- 37:52 Stats & iStat Menu.
40:19 Alternatives to popular Mac applications.
- 40:23 Ice.
- 41:03 PearCleaner.
- 43:08 Numi.
- 44:17 Bottom (btm).
- 44:53 Sip Color Picker.
50:25 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.

Sick Picks

Scott: Wilde Chips
Wes: Apple TV+: The Big Conn

Shameless Plugs

Scott: Syntax on YouTube

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enSeptember 04, 2024

816: Why Your CSS Sucks

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 using values instead of CSS vars.
20:16 You don’t understand block vs inline vs inline-block.
- CSS Logical Properties
21:16 You aren’t using the right tool for the job.
- CSS Flexbox, CSS Grid.
24:15 You’re setting the value in too many places.
24:31 You’re scoping to tightly or not tightly enough.

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enSeptember 02, 2024

815: Deno 2 with Ryan Dahl

In this episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott talk with Ryan Dahl about Deno 2.0, its new features and use of web standards, and how it seamlessly integrates with popular frameworks like Next.js. Ryan shares insights on the motivations behind Deno’s creation, its emphasis on simplicity and security, and offers his take on the evolving JavaScript ecosystem.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:34 What is Deno?
05:08 Deno 2.0
07:49 NPM compatibility
09:40 What parts of Node aren’t doable in Deno?
11:22 Do we need a hard break from Require?
13:51 Package management
16:25 Security and performance benefits of Deno
20:57 Brought to you by Sentry.io
20:57 Thoughts on Bun and Node additions
26:25 Ryan’s favorite Deno projects
28:42 Will we ever see a unified file system API?
31:49 Typescript
36:12 Jupyter Notebooks with Deno
- Polars
39:11 AI and WASM in JavaScript
42:01 Deno 2.0 features and future
43:08 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

Ryan: McCarren Park

Shameless Plugs

Ryan: https://deno.com/enterprise

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enAugust 30, 2024

814: Fundamentals: HTML

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 reference
- The Main element
08:45 Doctype
15:24 Nav
18:47 Section
20:41 Aside
22:09 Article
22:54 Span
27:18 Why use a span when you have a div and a paragraph tag?
29:29 Figure and Caption
31:16 Fieldset
31:53 UL vs OL
32:44 DFN
- The Definition element
34:16 Form
36:56 Button vs Anchor
38:22 Headings
- 674 - A11y Treats - Heading Design
40:21 Output
- The Output element
41:46 Dialog
42:04 Tables
44:03 Media
- media-chrome
45:06 Canvas
- https://githubuniverse.com/
- https://maximeheckel.com/
46:07 On graphics programming
47:38 Search
- 354 - The Surprisingly Exciting World of HTML Elements
48:27 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

Scott: 2Pack Traditional Natural Bamboo Wok Brushes
Wes: Logitech MX Master 3S

Shameless Plugs

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