In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about keyboard shortcuts, choosing frameworks in the age of AI, markdown vs CMSs, backup strategies, moving countries for work, staying relevant as a developer, and more! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:28 Do keyboard shortcuts actually improve productivity? Hyperkey 08:41 What is Error Lens, and why use it? Ep 956: Should I Keep Using WordPress? 11:44 How Scott is using a Svelte 5 service worker 14:52 Does tech stack choice still matter with AI coding? Ep 951: A first look at Remix 3 20:15 What stack should you choose for a greenfield SaaS? 22:38 What’s the right stack for a band website? 28:24 Is moving countries for work worth the tradeoff? 34:59 Brought to you by Sentry.io 36:16 How should you manage commits with AI tools? 40:50 Is programming still a good career in the AI era? 47:03 How should you back up large files and media? Ep 949: Web D

Scott and Wes chat with YouTuber and security consultant Matt Brown about breaking into IoT devices, extracting firmware, and decoding the hidden tech inside everyday gadgets. Matt shares his methods, the legal boundaries, and the wild stories behind his most interesting hacks. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:21 Curiosity in Hacking 03:28 Understanding IoT Devices 07:15 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 07:40 Linux vs Microcontrollers 10:11 UART Console Access 13:56 Firmware Extraction Techniques 14:19 Guessing Usernames and Passwords 19:22 Extracting Password Hashes 23:15 Legal Considerations in Hacking 30:06 Where does the inspiration come from? 31:20 Using Logic Analyzers 37:45 CAN Protocol in Automotive 45:42 Influence of Lewis Rossman 54:05 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Matt: Key Person of Influence Shameless Plugs Matt:Matt Brown on YouTube, Brown Fine Security Hit us up on Socials! Syntax:

Wes and Scott talk about their evolving home-server setups—Synology rigs, Mac minis, Docker vs. VMs, media servers, backups, Cloudflare Tunnels, and the real-world pros and cons of running your own hardware. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:35 Why use a home server? 07:29 Apps for home servers 16:23 Home server hardware 18:27 Brought to you by Sentry.io 20:45 VMs vs containers and choosing the right software 25:53 How to expose services to the internet safely 30:38 Securing access to your server 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

Scott and CJ go live from JS Nation NYC to talk about how developers can actually stay current without drowning in the constant churn of new tools and trends. They break down how to see through the fluff, focus on why tech exists before adopting it, and build a healthier, curiosity-driven approach to learning in 2025 and beyond. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:39 Scott delivering a non-technical talk at JS Nation. 03:24 Lamenting the frequency of change as developers. 03:46 Understanding why things exist before deciding to learn them. 05:11 Learning styles are a myth? 07:41 First dates and psychology exams. 10:39 Discovering is step one, playing is step two. 13:32 Learn with a project that you actually want. 18:16 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 18:34 Cutting through the noise of new tech. 21:40 Using AI as a learning tool 25:12 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Scott: dbrand Ghost Case 2.0 CJ: analog watches Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Wes and Scott talk about the weird, creative corners of the web—from live-coded music with Strudel and wild Hydra visuals to shader wizardry, projection-mapping art, fully synced Christmas lights, and more. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:10 Strudel https://www.tiktok.com/@dj_dave__/video/7541104277234748685 https://www.tiktok.com/@switch.angel/video/7542776528057257229 03:45 Hydra https://www.tiktok.com/@spacetiger3000/video/7552354878635511095?q=hydra%20video%20synth&t=1762879433461 05:44 P5.js https://www.tiktok.com/@julian_hespenheide/video/7408511121323248929?q=p5.js%20&t=1762879954031 https://www.tiktok.com/@m171148385929472638284/video/7544793538496679190?q=p5.js%20&t=1762879954031 08:03 ShaderToy https://shaders.com/ https://www.shadertoy.com/view/ldlcRf https://www.tiktok.com/@phi.graphics/video/6927475445059292421?q=shadertoy&t=1762879566343 https://www.tiktok.com/@fifi_cgi/video/7255109146062687494?q=shadertoy&t=1762879566343 11:13 Brought to you by Sentry.io 11:37

Scott and CJ sit down live at JSNation NYC with Iwo Plaza, creator of TypeGPU, to dig into how WebGPU is unlocking a new wave of graphics and compute power on the web. They chat about shader authoring in TypeScript, the future of GPU-powered AI in the browser, and what it takes to build a killer developer-friendly graphics library. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:32 What is TypeGPU? High-level overview and why it exists 01:20 WebGPU vs WebGL – the new era of GPU access on the web 01:47 Why shader languages are hard + making them accessible 02:24 Iwo’s background in C++, OpenGL, and discovering JS 03:06 Sharing graphics work on the web vs native platforms 03:29 WebGPU frustrations that inspired TypeGPU 04:17 Making GPU–CPU data exchange easier with Zod-like schemas 05:01 Writing shaders in JavaScript + the unified type system 05:38 How the “use_gpu” directive works under the hood 06:05 Building a compiler that turns TypeScript into shader code 07:00 Type inference, primitives, structs, and TypeScript magic 08:21 Leveraging existing tooling via Unplugin + bundler integration 09:15 How TypeGPU extracts ASTs and generates TinyEST metadata 10:10 Runtime shader generation vs build-time macros 11:07 How the AST is traversed + maintaining transparency in output

The Syntax team brings us their annual Holiday Gift Guide! They’ve curated the best gadgets, tools, food, and even kitchen essentials for the dev in your life — plus a few treats anyone would love to unwrap. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax 00:54 Our Favorite Things 01:03 Wes - Bambu Lab 3d Printers 01:50 Wes - Leatherman Arc Multi-tool 03:07 Kaitlin - Ruffwear Roamer Bungee Dog Leash 04:49 Niki - Magic Mirror Home Screen 06:42 Randy - Everything Presence Light 08:22 Randy - Henson Safety Razor 10:24 CJ - Viltrox 28mm Pancake Lens 11:17 Scott - 3D Printers 11:37 Scott - Anker 4-Port Charger 12:45 Randy - DJI Mic Mini 13:37 Randy - Velcro Cable Ties 14:22 Kaitlin - Prequel Skin Care 16:18 Kaitlin - Coros Pace 3 Running Watch 17:30 Niki - Steam Machine 18:02 Niki - VR Headset 18:18 Under $30 18:25 Wes -

Scott and Wes face off in a CSS-themed round of STUMP’d, quizzing each other on shape functions, scroll snap types, obscure functions, and long-forgotten spec history. From ray() to cross-fade() to print-color quirks, this episode is packed with rapid-fire frontend trivia guaranteed to sharpen your CSS brain. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:54 Which of the following are valid CSS Shape Functions? 02:03 CSS Selectors 4 specification demo. 03:20 How many functions are there in CSS? 04:22 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 04:47 Explain the 3 CSS Scroll Snap types. 06:38 What does the xywh() do? 09:15 What about ray()? 11:25 What do CSS Namespaces do? 14:37 What year was CSS paint() bug tracker introduced in Firefox? 17:34 What does print-color-adjust do? 20:26 What is

In this potluck episode, Wes and Scott answer your questions about paid vs. free SSL, the state of frontend jobs, headless WordPress trade-offs, organizing TypeScript types, and more! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:51 Recapping the GitHub Meetup 05:14 Is there any real benefit to picking a paid SSL over Let's Encrypt? 08:03 Is the pure frontend role disappearing? 11:17 Is the gravy train over for software devs? 20:48 How Scott automates versioning with GitHub Actions changesets Intro to using changesets zero-svelte graffiti 25:16 Brought to you by Sentry.io 25:41 Thoughts on VS Code alternatives and the rise of Zed 33:01 Should I switch to headless WordPress or continue rolling my own PHP templates? 37:33 How do you organize TypeScript types in a frontend project? 40:55 How do I continue to level up as a developer? 45:36 Stay in a comfortable job or embrace new challenges? Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn

Scott and Wes break down SvelteKit’s new remote functions and why they finally solve the long-standing pain of page-level data in Svelte. They cover queries, forms, batching, caching, and all the clever RPC ergonomics that make Svelte’s approach feel surprisingly powerful and refreshingly simple. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:45 Lots of RPC library options. 01:22 Svelte’s Page-Level Data Always Felt Off 02:12 Progress on the new Syntax site. 03:47 Remote functions explained. Svelte Remote Functions Docs. 04:15 Make a .remote.ts file. 05:07 Querying data. 07:52 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 08:17 Svelte’s leg up on React. 10:13 Query Arguments. 11:39 The benefits of Standard Schema. 13:13 Refreshing Queries. 13:29 query.batch 15:18 Form function. 21:13 Enhance. 22:31 Refresh. 23:16 Command query. 24:25 Prerender. 25:22 Caching. 27:44

Live from GitHub Universe, Wes and Scott talk with Tanner Linsley about the latest from TanStack, including TanStack DB’s local-first syncing, new routing ideas, and fresh perspectives on server components and “magic” directives. They explore performance, incremental adoption, and what’s next for the rapidly growing TanStack ecosystem — plus a few spicy takes along the way. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:12 What’s new in the TanStack universe? 01:57 Introducing TanStack DB: local-first sync engine 05:17 How syncing and transactions actually work in TanStack DB 07:03 Next.js 16 Workflows: durable functions and the directive debate 08:46 Brought to you by Sentry.io 09:41 Tanner’s case for fewer “magic directives” 12:36 TanStack’s approach to React Server Components 14:30 The momentum of leading an ecosystem 15:38 Top-secret TanStack project in the works Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott and Wes sit down with Jared Palmer of GitHub (formerly of Vercel) to unpack all the biggest announcements from GitHub Universe 2025. They dive into the future of developer workflows with agents, how GitHub is rethinking project interfaces, and where there’s still room to improve the dev experience. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! GitHub Universe Recap. 00:21 Who is Jared Palmer? 01:19 The developer workflow with agents. 03:33 Opening ongoing tasks in VS Code. 06:08 The benefit of agnostic agents. 07:04 GitHub’s biggest opportunities for improvement. 09:38 What’s your interface of choice for a new project? 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

Live from GitHub Universe, Wes, Scott, and CJ talk about the latest AI and developer tools from GitHub, including Agent HQ, Copilot integrations, and the new mission control for agents. They also share stories from the Syntax meetup, hack their conference badges, and debate AI’s role in coding. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 03:39 This year’s GitHub Universe badges were next-level 07:35 Keynote recap: GitHub Agents, Copilot, and Mission Control 18:21 Brought to you by Sentry.io 20:33 Plan Mode and the future of collaborative coding 23:40 Cursor’s new trick: firing off agents straight from Slack 25:32 Copilot Metrics Dashboard and agent analytics 27:53 Effortless MCP integration and custom agent workflows 31:35 Wrapping up GitHub Universe 2025 Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn

Scott and Wes dive into Remix 3, exploring how it embraces native web standards like Events, Signals, and Streams to become a truly full-stack framework. They unpack what “LLM-ready,” thin APIs, and a standards-based approach mean for the future of web development. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 03:21 Uses the platform - native Events, Signals, Streams, Fetch 04:16 Remix 3, Fully Fullstack. 04:57 LLM‑ready + thin APIs 05:53 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 06:18 My previous predictions. 07:44 The value of ‘Standards Based’. 09:13 Component model - JSX/TSX; state = variables; call this.render() 11:56 Adding reactivity to Remix. 15:15 Event‑based architecture - custom events, EventTarget, interactions 20:52 Context & type‑safe access. 22:46 Composing interaction logic within events. 24:25 Signals - AbortSignal to cancel async ops 25:21 Benefits of standards - bring your own tools/libraries Michael Asnong X Post. 26:42 CSS - built‑in CSS prop; Svelte‑like scoping 28:34 Server - Web Request/Response, Web Streams across runtimes 31:23 Frames - asy

In part 2 of this year’s Spooky Stories special, Wes and Scott discuss the most chilling developer horror stories—from six-month-old unprocessed donations and runaway dog-food orders to vanishing databases, DNS disasters, code that literally tore apart a mall’s ventilation system, and more! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:33 A Bug Beyond the Grave 04:16 NHL SPOOKS 06:36 White Space Ghost Faced 10:54 Over Order Nightmare 16:50 Alaskian 21:16 Brought to you by Sentry.io 22:50 Rackspace’d Out 25:02 Fired 26:52 WordPress Woes 33:21 What does the P in VPS stand for? 34:18 Beyond the Grave II 35:39 The Hottest Hot Fix 37:54 Bad Redirect 40:03 Instead of Making Money, You Spend Money! 41:26 Certbot Certain Death 43:55 It’s Always DNS 50:02 Cache Ruins Everything Around Me 51:52 Fiber F-Up 56:18 More Spooky Stories Don’t Drink and Deploy 😬 | Spooky Dev Storie

It’s that time of year again, Scott (as Dracula) and Wes (as a big bad shark) return for their annual Spooky Stories special! They’re joined by a mysterious guest for a round of creepy coding trivia and chilling true tales of web dev gone wrong; dropped databases, haunted passwords, and more. Beware: these are real developer horror stories. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:05 Scott’s vampire costume. 00:38 New to live-streaming. 00:54 AWS Outage. 01:50 What is Spooky Stories? 02:01 (Wes is wearing a shark costume) 02:34 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:30 PHP MyHeadache. 06:23 A Browser Hack. 08:30 Browser Hack Gameshow & Special Guest! 17:01 Ghost Password. 21:32 Just A Patch. 24:12 Don’t drink and Deploy. 34:47 Discount. Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok

Wes and Scott talk about what makes Zed—the hot new editor built in Rust—fast, beautiful, and finally ready for primetime. From Git UI to extensions and AI tools, they break down what Zed gets right, what it still lacks, and whether it’s time to finally ditch VS Code. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! Syntax San Francisco Meetup We need your Spooky Stories 02:37 Brought to you by Sentry.io 04:07 What is Zed? 06:46 Zed UI: fast and clean 10:17 General editor experience 11:44 Extensions marketplace 17:53 Git UI 22:03 Problems UI 26:01 Real-time collaboration Remote Development 27:39 Command prompt tricks and built-in tools 31:03 Zed’s AI features AI Coding Sucks 37:08 What kept Scott away—and why he’s back 40:33 What’s still missing Text Manipulation Kung Fu for the Aspiring Black Belt 46:43 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs Sick Picks

Scott and Wes break down the top-tier MCP servers developers are using right now. From browser automation to debugging superpowers, they explore how these servers are changing what’s possible in modern dev workflows. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:52 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:46 Submit your Spooky Stories! 03:37 Syntax San Francisco Meetup. 04:11 S-Tier MCP Servers. 04:17 Sentry MCP Server (not sponsored). 05:01 Pause, what the heck is an MCP server. 05:45 Back to the Sentry MCP. 07:07 Spotlight JS. 09:08 ElevenLabs MCP hack. 11:19 Docs Tools. 11:29 Context7. 15:55 GitHub MCP Registry. 16:10 Nuxt MCP Server. 16:25 Svelte MCP Server. 20:35 Cloudflare MCP Servers.

In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about why devs neglect their own websites, hosting shady projects (hypothetically), AI rules in version control, balancing side projects and family life, and more! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:43 Why devs neglect their own websites (and how to convince your parents coding is a real job) 07:04 AirPods, Nothing Ear, and the ANC struggle 10:22 Shipping Syntax merch from Canada 12:43 Scott’s update on Omarchy and Linux laptop life 18:05 What to do when a user account gets hacked (and how to prevent it) 21:33 Should you commit LLM context files and AI-generated docs to Git? 25:27 How to balance career, side projects, and family life 29:25 Building and hosting a “legally dubious” website 33:27 Best practices for dealing with images 42:46 Where to find Wes’ awesome wallpapers 44:19 Can you trust services with a generous free tier? ServerlessHorrors 50:32 Do we still use GIFs? 52:23 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs 55:59 Brought to you by Sentry.io Sick Picks

Scott and Wes dive into Chrome’s new MCP server; a dev tools API powered by Puppeteer that gives your scripts, editors, and AI agents full access to Chrome. They break down how it works, what it can (and can’t) do, and how it might change debugging and automation for developers Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:15 Syntax San Francisco Meetup. 01:55 We need your Spooky Stories! 02:42 What is an MCP Server? 04:28 MCP servers are not only for code editors. 06:43 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 07:49 Dev Tools MCP is similar to Puppeteer. 09:20 Setting up an MCP Server. 11:36 Example of MCP with Dominos Pizza. 13:23 Accessing Dev tools from your editor. 14:23 In VS Code, you can “Open Link”. 15:22 Using the MCP server. 16:26 Chrome has Debug insights inside of chrome’s dev tools. 18:38 Real world things the Chrome MCP server can do. 18:43 Analyzing performance. 19:55 Taking screenshots. 21:17 Performance fix feedback loop. 22:33 Remote connecting browsers. 24:54 Browser-use.