Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats
Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats
Wes Bos & Scott Tolinski - Full Stack JavaScript Web Developers
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.
1024: Open Models Replace Big AI
A huge week for open models: Inkling (the first big US open-weight model since Gemma 4), Qwen 3.8, and Kimi 3 all dropped. Plus Vue 3.6 RC + Vapor Mode, the slow death of Stack Overflow, a decoy font that blinds AI, and the usual grab bag of fun links. Show Notes 00:00 Intro 00:44 Welcome to Syntax 03:01 Vue.js 3.6 RC Released Vue.js 3.6-RC.1 09:50 Brought to you by Sentry 10:35 Rift - new worktree alternative Rift Explaining Rift tweet 17:46 Every new browser feature MDN Plus Browser features updates CSS ’text-fit’ property 23:09 Kimi K3 Released Kimi K3 release tweet Kimi K3 blog post Openrouter effective pricing 29:33 What are Open Weight Models 32:46 Kimi K3 Architecture Kimi K3’s built up Cutting off access to Kimi 33:59 Qwen 3.8 Released Qwen 3.8 launch announcement 36:42 Inkling from Thinking Machines Thinking Machines release Inkling Inkling release post from Mira Murati Thinking Machines news blog post 40:45 Mole Cleanup App Mole 43:21 Moshi Terminal App Moshi app 46:05 RIP Stack Overflow Query for new questions on Stack Overflow Stack Overflow for Agents StackExchange 54:10 Scott’s Foot Pedal 54:59 Scott’s Feet 56:13 Decoy Font 59:16 Jurassic Park Computers 01:03:59 Ride the Tokyo Trains LIVE 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
Jul 27
1 hr 7 min
1023: Mosh, Caddy & Tailscale: A Remote Dev Deep Dive
Running your dev process off your main machine doesn’t have to mean the cloud. Scott and Wes break down how to host projects on a box you can reach from any device, close your laptop mid-build, and keep long-running processes alive. They cover Scott’s stack (Mosh, Caddy, Tailscale, Zed, and terminal AI agents like Claude Code), the annoyances of mobile TUIs, and whether it beats staying local. Show Notes 00:00 Intro 00:36 Welcome to Syntax! 01:56 Benefits of Remote Development 07:50 Process for Remote Development 09:34 Tech Stack for Remote Development Mosh instead of SSH Caddy for domains and routing Tailscale for local network Zed editor Herdr for terminal sessions Opencode or ClaudeCode for AI via the term Termius for iOS AI 15:09 Tools and Alternatives for Remote Development 21:16 Exploring Workspaces and Terminal Management 30:31 Mobile Terminal Applications and Their Features 32:30 Navigating the Terminal Landscape: Tools and Alter 35:22 Headless Browsers and Authentication Challenges 38:35 Work Trees and Their Use Cases 44:21 Cloud Hosting and Local Development Solutions 45:28 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Scott: Elgato Stream Deck Pedal Wes: Packing Cubes 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
Jul 22
48 min
1022: Bun re-written in Rust, Zig team big mad
CJ and Scott break down the biggest week in web dev: TypeScript 7 ships with a 10x-faster native port, Bun gets rewritten in Rust (much to the Zig team’s dismay), and Better Auth joins Vercel. Plus GPT-5.6 first impressions, Odin 1.0, Cloudflare’s new Workers cache and drag-and-drop deploys, and the OpenCode 2 beta. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:21 CJ upgraded his homelab network 02:09 TypeScript 7 is 10x faster 11:19 Bun Rust rewrite drama Zig creator criticizes rewrite 28:18 GPT 5.6 Impressions Ashley Peachock on X Matt Shumer on X 40:58 Better Auth Acquired by Vercel 49:51 Grok Build CLI is stealing your code International Cyber Digest on X 56:00 Cloudflare Worker Cache and Drop 01:01:22 Check out CJ’s latest video I Built an LLM from Scratch 01:03:06 Odin 1.0 Announced 01:05:33 OpenCode 2.0 Beta released 01:07:32 Winamp Skin Museum 01:11:08 CJ’s new MP3 player 01:13:03 Scott’s Robot Update Sick Picks Scott: Reachy Mini CJ: Snowsky Echo Mini 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
Jul 20
1 hr 15 min
1021: We got addicted to an AI model we can't talk about
Dax Raad, co-founder of OpenCode, joins Scott and Wes to talk remote dev servers, OpenCode 2.0, and why his team is “addicted” to AI models they’re not even allowed to name yet. Show Notes 00:00 Intro 00:43 Welcome to Syntax! 01:22 Remote Development Environments and Their Benefits Dax’s post Latitude.sh exe.dev 06:24 The Setup: Tmux and Long-Running Sessions 07:15 Brought to you by Sentry! 08:12 Integrating AI with Personal Projects 11:21 Open Code 2.0: Features and Improvements 17:15 Software Engineering Methodology and Design Philosophy 21:33 Model Routing and AI Integration 23:58 The Evolution of AI Models 26:23 Comparing Open Source and Proprietary Models 28:27 Cost Implications of AI Model Usage 30:27 Local vs Cloud AI Model Hosting 32:08 Navigating Claude Code and Third-Party Integration 35:40 The Future of API Access for AI Models 37:27 Regulatory Concerns and AI Safety 39:25 Tools and Techniques for AI Coding Hex Handy 45:15 Final Thoughts and Future Directions 47:33 Sick Picks and Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Scott: Wes: Shameless Plugs Scott: Wes: Dax: exe.dev OpenTUI 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
Jul 15
51 min
1020: Do You Read The Code?
Auto-accept on, brain off? We’re getting into whether anyone actually reads the code they ship anymore — then it’s HTTP’s first new method in 16 years (meet QUERY) and OpenAI’s compute-hungry “Sol Ultra” tier landing in Codex. Bring your hot takes and hang out with us live. Show Notes 00:00 Intro 00:31 Welcome to Syntax! 01:44 World Cup Chat 03:21 Do you read the code? Theo’s take Primeagen’s take Dax’s take notch’s take David Fowler’s take David Cramer’s take 16:50 Query: NEW HTTP Method RFC 10008: The HTTP QUERY Method The new HTTP QUERY method explained 22:39 Github Repos on a CD-ROM Github’s post 29:59 Brought to you by Sentry.io 30:35 Gea - compiler-first UI framework Gea React vs Gea 41:23 Fable First Impressions Anthropic announces Fable comeback 49:32 Codex Gets Sol Ultra 52:59 Update: Scott’s Robot 56:36 Junior Slack Agent Junior 01:03:55 Supply Chain Security Updates Min release age now in all tools npm now adds a temporary, preventive safeguard for high-impact accounts 01:07:40 HTML element Chrome introduces element 01:10:16 Claude Code Auto Accepted Answers after 60 seconds "No response after 60s — continued without an answer” 01:13:21 Claude Code Fingerprints Requests to China Claude Code Is Steganographically Marking Requests 01:16:24 Responding to Chat 01:21:06 Organic Maps Organic Maps for all platforms 01:24:21 Starring the Computer Computers in movies and tv 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
Jul 13
1 hr 27 min
1019: LGTM, Ship It: The AI Code Review Problem
This episode tackles the growing pains of AI-assisted development, from the struggle of reviewing thousands of lines of agent-generated code to the mounting technical debt when teams merge PRs without meaningful human review. Scott and Wes also dig into local models, whether jujutsu really beats git, how freelancers should price work in the AI era, and getting your team on board with external libraries. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:45 Understanding AI-Generated Code 06:24 The Challenges of Code Review in AI Development 11:21 What the heck are local models? CJ’s Guide to Local AI 16:09 Exploring New Tools: Jujutsu and Beyond 20:35 Exploring Version Control Innovations 22:18 Pricing Strategies in the Age of AI 24:52 webkit-box-reflect not in the browsers. 27:44 The Angular vs. React Debate 31:46 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Scott: Huggingface Reachy Mini Robot Wes: Bose QC35 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
Jul 8
39 min
1018: Google fires Workspace CLI Creator
Google fires the engineer behind its Workspace CLI tool, OpenAI previews GPT-5.6 with three new model tiers, and Astro 7 lands with a full Rust rewrite. Plus: Coinbase cuts token costs with smarter routing, and more in this week’s Syntax Live Show Notes 00:00 Intro 00:34 Welcome to Syntax! 01:46 Google fires Workspace CLI Creator 12:30 GPT 5.6 Is Coming 19:59 GLM 5.2 Released 23:23 Astro 7 Rust Re-write 32:46 Cursor Announces iOS App 35:08 Scott’s Workflow: Herdr + Mosh + Termius + Tailscale 40:33 Coinbase Reduces AI Cost with Model Routing 44:22 wayfinder-router - Local AI Routing CLI 48:16 Token efficiency in models and harnesses Martin Woodward on X 52:34 performativeUI - react components for AI startups 54:31 Brought to you by Sentry.io 55:21 Reachy Mini Robot 01:02:21 FUTO Keyboard Swipe for Android 01:05:40 CSS Quake 01:07:35 HTML Invoker API is Baseline Available 01:13:17 Cloudflare Temporary Accounts for AI Agents 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
Jul 6
1 hr 17 min
1017, We need to stop calling it “AI”
Scott and Wes raid the listener mailbag to settle the pnpm vs. npm debate, decode how web standards sneak into your browser, and ask the big one: is “AI” even intelligent, or just fancy autocomplete? Plus Stack Overflow nostalgia, the Shadcn head-scratcher, and why big design systems are sleeping on modern HTML. Show Notes 00:00 Intro 00:44 Welcome to Syntax! 01:51 Exploring CSS Component Approaches 07:30 Brought to you by Sentry 08:09 The Advantages of PNPM over NPM 12:31 Nostalgia and Growth through Stack Overflow Wes’ Stack Overflow Scott’s Stack Overflow 19:13 The Evolution of Podcasting and Video Content 23:34 Understanding the Proposal Process for Web Standards TC39 Process TC39 Active proposals Stage 3 examples CSS Working Group Issues CSS Specifications CSS Agenda+ Chrome Platform Status Mozilla Standards Positions WebKit Standards Positions Web Platform Tests HTML Issues HTML pull requests HTML Living Standards TypeScript Issues TypeScript pull requests TypeScript Iteration Plans TypeScript blog Node Issues Node pull requests Node recent releases Node release schedule 28:25 Understanding AI: The Misconception of Intelligence 33:26 The Role of Modern Web Features in Design Systems 39:20 Navigating AI in Software Development: Two Camps of Engineers 47:05 The Importance of Fundamentals in the Age of AI 49:15 Scams in the Tech Industry: A Cautionary Tale 53:34 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Scott:Warhammer 40000 minitures Wes: Baby gate Shameless Plugs Scott: Wes: 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
Jul 1
56 min
1016: More Bots Than Humans
Wes, Scott, and CJ break down the latest web dev news. From AI agents and coding tools to Deno Desktop, Nub, and predictive UX. They also discuss bot-filled social media, remote work debates, and a slick 3D bookstore experience. Show Notes 00:00 Intro 00:35 Welcome to Syntax! 01:43 Codex Design Smell 03:55 More Bots Than Humans Bot vs Human Post-smoke test software era 12:38 Social Media Is Nothing But Bots 19:55 Brought to you by Sentry 20:38 Vercel Launches Agent Framework Introducing Flue Flue Introducing eve eve 36:14 We Want Local AI Agents 47:22 Deno Desktop Deno Desktop App 01:01:40 Nub Replaces Bun Introducing Nub Nub 01:06:04 ForsightJS Predicts User Intent ForesightJS v4 PointerEvent: getPredictedEvents() method 01:12:43 Is WFH Fraud? Remote work is fraud 01:18:38 3D Book Store Explorer 3D Book Store 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
Jun 29
1 hr 23 min
1015: Browsers and UIs are dead. Everything is chat
Is the web dead, or just evolving? Wes Bos breaks down his JS Nation Amsterdam talk on agentic interfaces, why chat won’t replace everything, how Web MCP lets agents interact with your existing sites, and what “Clicks and Clankers” really means for the future of UI. Show Notes 00:00 Intro 00:33 Welcome to Syntax! 00:46 Wes’s Talk: Agentic Interfaces at JS Nation 01:37 Is the Web Dead? Chat vs. Traditional UI 03:13 No UI, Voice UI, and the Smart Home Vision 04:00 What Is Web MCP and How It Works 05:10 Clicks and Clankers: When to Click vs. Prompt 06:57 The Future of Shopping and the Open Web Problem 08:46 Delegating the Boring Stuff: Groceries and Expense Categorization 11:55 MCP Apps and the Happy Path Problem 12:55 Brought to you by Sentry.io 13:23 Generative UI: Can the LLM Make a Better UI Than You? 14:54 Smart Home Dashboards and the Jarvis Dream 17:24 Is the Web Dead? Final Thoughts 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
Jun 24
17 min
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