2020 In Review

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? 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

16 Sep 202420min

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 Cody GitButler Tauri Discord Awesome Tauri 43:18 The future of Tauri 50:23 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs Links Rustlings Cassidy Williams Sick Picks Daniel: 5secondfilms Shameless Plugs Guest: Manufacturing European Software (Coming Soon) 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

13 Sep 202454min

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 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

11 Sep 202456min

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! 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

9 Sep 202428min

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 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

6 Sep 202450min

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 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

4 Sep 202457min

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. 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

2 Sep 202428min

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 Lume Fresh webgpu-examples gpucraft minecraft clone + deno + webgpu gpucraft example Shaderplay Orillusion 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 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

30 Aug 202444min