Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

In this Hasty Treat, Scott and Wes talk about five things that could potentially be making your website slow. LogRocket - Sponsor LogRocket lets you replay what users do on your site, helping you reproduce bugs and fix issues faster. It’s an exception tracker, a session re-player and a performance monitor. Get 14 days free at logrocket.com/syntax. Show Notes 3:00 - TTFB Slow DNS lookup Server on the other side of the world Slow server processing Network speed back to the browser 6:21 - Requests Too many requests Too large Waterfalling your requests 9:44 - Assets are too large Images are the biggest bloat in a site Compress and optimize via build tool or ImageOptim Make smaller Picture fill for mobile 14:48 - Lazy loading lazy=“true” Intersection observer Preload slider images two ahead 18:03 - Not using a CDN What is a CDN? Cloudflare is free, others are very cheap - we used Cloudfront Netlify is free and comes with a CDN Links WordPress Webpack Gulp gatsby-image Cloudinary Cloudflare Cloudfront Netlify Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

13 Apr 202024min

In this episode of Syntax, Scott and Wes talk about working from home. How do we do our best in these unprecedented times? Here are our tips for working from home and staying productive and sane! .TECH Domains - Sponsor If you need eyes on your project, you’ll need a domain, and .TECH is perfect for representing your brand. Find out if your .TECH domain is available at go.tech/syntax2020. Use the coupon code Syntax2020 and get 90% off 1- 5- and 10-year domain names. Prismic - Sponsor Prismic is a Headless CMS that makes it easy to build website pages as a set of components. Break pages into sections of components using React, Vue, or whatever you like. Make corresponding Slices in Prismic. Start building pages dynamically in minutes. Get started at prismic.io/syntax. Show Notes 2:39 - Your space You need a table Card table or dining room table Keyboard + monitor Don’t work from your bed or couch Headphones can get you in the zone (noise-canceling ftw) 16:36 - Routine Shower, shave, makeup Clear start and stop times - even if that means it’s 5am to 11am because you are splitting Taking breaks is important 25:24 - Focus TODO list - write a list of what you hope to do at the start of the day, check things off, feel good about yourself Eat That Frog - for the 100th time Don’t watch or check the news during work hours Block the terms related to the pandemic or politics on social media - you don’t need that info there DOOM Scrolling 30:11 - Self care Video games or relaxing things post work Exercise Kettlebells, spin bike, bodyweight workouts Stronger by Science has a great episode about this - https://www.strongerbyscience.com/podcast-episode-38/ Zoom Happy Hours Don’t overly rely on substances to get you through Get your VD (vitamin D) Don’t stress out yourself at night - don’t look up news before bed 43:20 - Managing kids and sharing time with your partner First of all, props to you all - this is really hard, mentally and physically This will vary greatly depending on your SO’s job, number and age of kids Our SOs have work and jobs of their own Watching young kids is hard work Give each other 30 min brakes Kids need routine - put something in place Some times Uncle Mickey needs to take over, and that’s ok Communication is key Schedule Examples: 6-12 and 12-6 4 hours each 2 hour trade off Focus time (calls, deep work) and half-focus time (emails, etc.) Have empathy with everyone: co-workers, SO, kids Check in on your peeps Keep an eye on your co-workers, even the extroverted ones Links Super Strong Neodymium Magnets Elgato Cam Link 4k Keychron K1 Eat That Frog! uses.tech Animal Crossing Love Is Blind Powerblocks Peloton Strange Brew Wes’ Twitter thread - How are you managing child care? Syntax Twitter thread - Send us your work from home tips! ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott: Oculus Quest Wes: Slumberpod Shameless Plugs Scott: All Courses - 50% off! Wes: All Courses - Use the coupon code ‘Syntax’ for $10 off! Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

8 Apr 202054min

In this Hasty Treat, Scott and Wes talk about abstraction in general as well as javascript programming. LogRocket - Sponsor LogRocket lets you replay what users do on your site, helping you reproduce bugs and fix issues faster. It’s an exception tracker, a session re-player and a performance monitor. Get 14 days free at logrocket.com/syntax. Show Notes 1:48 - What the heck is abstraction? I like to think of it as sweeping under the rug Vue and React devs should be very familiar with the concept 4:44 - When to abstract When things are getting too heavy Personal preference Some people have an arbitrary line limit 7:25 - When not to abstract When savings are minimal When it just adds a pointless layer 9:40 - Personal code abstractions vs public My personal focus is on API simplicity and baked-in smart defaults More specific Public APIs need to be more flexible or at least for some components Links React Vue Svelte Max MSP chakra UI Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

6 Apr 202017min

In this episode of Syntax, Scott and Wes talk with Dr. Courtney Tolinski about mental health and web development. Sanity - Sponsor Sanity.io is a real-time headless CMS with a fully customizable Content Studio built in React. Get a Sanity powered site up and running in minutes at sanity.io/create. Get an awesome supercharged free developer plan on sanity.io/syntax. Freshbooks - Sponsor Get a 30 day free trial of Freshbooks at freshbooks.com/syntax and put SYNTAX in the “How did you hear about us?” section. Show Notes 3:20 - Depression Honestly just explaining depression would be great. Too many times I’ve heard “but you don’t look sad” As someone who struggles with depression, what are some things I can do to rekindle and things I enjoy like developing and hobbies? This would greatly benefit me for learning more dev related things outside of doing it for work. My depression is due to some other cause in personal life - two years into it. Coding has bought me little life back as this is the only thing I have to do. What can we do from an outsider's view to someone who might have depression? 12:23 - Anxiety Imposter Syndrome x 1000 How to deal with increased anxiety during these times? How to avoid anxiety and feel useless when working products that you don’t appeal to you? Wanted to ask the Dr about why do I feel that I have to work on 1000 projects that seem to never finish? 😣This is inducing a lot of anxiety sometimes. I am on depression medication. Sometimes, I feel scared that I am so slow and don’t feel accomplished enough like people working at FANG, etc, being a SE. How to deal with the anxiety caused by today’s events around the world and the need to isolate yourself from society even though we crave human interaction? 29:12 - Focus and job performance How to keep motivation and focus? I find myself enjoying work but having a hard time focusing on it. All the “distraction-free” apps don’t work because I can turn them off and I feel they literally have no power over me. Hardcore mode Pomodoro technique 35:10 - Motivation and remote work Bore-out Burnout How do you deal with loss of focus and happiness in web development (especially on remote jobs)? Working for yourself at home, you don’t get a chance to bounce ideas and encouragement from others in an office. What’re some good ways to compensate for that to ensure you maintain a positive mindset? Work on new things Find ways to try new things 40:38 - Stress Correctly identifying source of (negative?) stress. Not lashing out when under stress. How to avoid eating to cope with stress? Links Eat That Frog! - Brian Tracy Pomodoro technique Healthline How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7 ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Courtney: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind Scott: The Engineering Mindset YouTube Channel Wes: Toca Boca Shameless Plugs Scott: All Courses - Sign up for the year and save 50%! Wes: All Courses - Eveything is 50% off! Use the coupon code ‘Syntax’ for $10 off! Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

1 Apr 20201h 2min

In this Hasty Treat, Scott and Wes talk about security and how to get good at passwords. Sentry - Sponsor If you want to know what’s happening with your errors, track them with Sentry. Sentry is open-source error tracking that helps developers monitor and fix crashes in real time. Cut your time on error resolution from five hours to five minutes. It works with any language and integrates with dozens of other services. Syntax listeners can get two months for free by visiting Sentry.io and using the coupon code “tastytreat”. Show Notes 7:35 - Setting passwords Absolutely 100% must be unique for EVERY SINGLE WEBSITE 9:38 - Generated passwords Make a sentence: lovetoEatPizza Decide on casing Make your own algorithm: 3rd letter replaced by 4th letter of domain number on end is double the number of chars in the domain 13:52 - Use a password Manager Have the password manager generate the password for you Get it on your phone You must go 100% all in 1password Dashlane Bitwarden - open source version of Dashlane LastPass - awful 17:45 - Password manager tips Turn off your browser password manager - this is a crutch and causes them to become out of sync and this is why I see people annoyed by them For the love of god, make you master password something you can remember You can add family members to your plan that will approve it 1password’s Watchtower feature 20:50 - Biometrics Face ID, Touch ID Blood 21:37 - 2FA codes Authy Google Authenticator Authenticator + 1Password for 2FA codes Backup codes You can also backup the QR code 29:55 - Text message codes Don’t My sister got sim jacked, PayPal drained, phone number was gone for 7 days Lock transfer - ask your phone provider - mine has voice recognition Links Have I been pwned? Shop Talk Show: One on One with a Hacker Mailchimp Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

30 Mar 202034min

It’s another potluck! In this episode, Scott and Wes answer your questions about bootcamps, Figma, Gatsby, AMP, Mongoose, imposter syndrome, and more! .TECH Domains - Sponsor If you need eyes on your project, you’ll need a domain, and .TECH is perfect for representing your brand. Find out if your .TECH domain is available at go.tech/syntax2020. Use the coupon code Syntax2020 and get 90% off 1- 5- and 10-year domain names. LogRocket - Sponsor LogRocket lets you replay what users do on your site, helping you reproduce bugs and fix issues faster. It’s an exception tracker, a session re-player and a performance monitor. Get 14 days free at logrocket.com/syntax. Show Notes 3:02 - Q. Scott, you talk a lot about your workflow with Figma. As a designer going to programming it sounds like the workflow was natural to you. As a programmer trying to move into design, I have no idea how to get started. Could you explain your workflow on starting a new project in Figma through starting to implement in VSCode? 5:36 - The dreaded monitor question, flat or curved? 8:34 - I am relatively new to web development and have learned HTML, CSS, Node and Mongo. I planned on taking your GatsbyJS e-commerce course, however, I have no experience in React whatsoever. Should I learn React first? 12:35 - What is AMP and should I be using it? 16:07 - What are the advantages and disadvantages of building a web app using a framework such as Blitz.js? 21:46 - Would you ever consider moving from Mongo / Mongoose? 24:47 - I am very new to the dev world. Went to college 15 years ago for Comp Sci, but dropped out halfway through to become an electrician. (Wasn’t sure if I could sit in an office all day.) Long story, but I’m wanting to change my career path and I’m very interested in software development. I’ve heard about Modern Labor’s bootcamp and I’m intrigued. I’d like to know what your take is on their program. 33:15 - Loved your recent episode(s) on serverless functions. I’ve implemented a few myself, but I always come back to the same question: how exactly do I secure these endpoints? Because you are charged for compute time, and those endpoints are publicly available, couldn’t anyone just send requests to them and run up your bill? 36:53 - I’ve decided to make a career out of coding and programming and I’m an absolute beginner starting out in HTML and CSS. It might be a weird question but how many/what percentage elements and declaratives do I need to memorize? It’s not that the info is necessarily difficult to parse, it’s the amount of tags that I’m bombarding my brain with is muddying my progress. I’m more of a theory-driven learner so it’s not the biggest obstacle in the world but I’m starting to see the breadth of this endeavor and I’m not sure how to focus my mental acuity. 40:39 - Do you have a standard folder structure that you follow for placing “utility” function JS files? Is there an “industry standard”? I’ve just been using utils or utilities inside src, but curious if there is a more common way. 44:12 - Is figuring out new techs/modules/plugins/whatever really as easy as reading the docs for most people? A common response to “what’s a good way to learn x” seems to be “the docs are good”. I then open the docs and am absolutely clueless. Are these people just giving bad advice, or do the docs actually give most people enough to go on? For example, I tried to implement username login with Passport using their docs, and a lot seemed to be left out, implying you’re supposed to just already know all this other stuff. It’s a bit demoralizing to feel like I can’t figure out much of anything on my own, and I’ve been doing web dev for a few years now, albeit not professionally, but I have done some big projects that are used regularly. So anyway, just wondering what your take on this common advice is, your experience with being able to figure out things on your own without needing an hour-long tutorial, and so on. I know you’re both tutorial makers, but I don’t get the impression that you two have to take a course to understand something new. 48:19 - Do you have any tips for getting over “code shyness” or “imposter syndrome”? I find myself struggling with this issue from time to time and was curious to know your suggestions for dealing with it. 53:36 - If I rename my GitHub repo, will all the links that are in the wild still work. For instance will github.com/webruin map to github.com/newname? Links Cloudflare AMP Blitz.js Brandon Blitz Meteor Mongoose DynamoDB uses.tech Course Report - Modern Labor Passport.js Syntax 058: Advice For Beginners - Tech Skills, Applying for Jobs, Focus, Imposter Syndrome + More Syntax 015: Advice for New Developers, Imposter Syndrome and Interviewing at Google Syntax 075: Hasty Treat - Feedback and Criticism Brendan Eich ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott: Stronger by Science Podcast Wes: iStat Menus Shameless Plugs Scott: Animating React with Framer Motion - Sign up for the year and save 25%! Wes: All Courses - Use the coupon code ‘Syntax’ for $10 off! Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

25 Mar 202057min

In this Hasty Treat, Scott and Wes talk about purchasing power parity — what it is, and how Wes has implemented it on his course website. Prismic - Sponsor Prismic is a Headless CMS that makes it easy to build website pages as a set of components. Break pages into sections of components using React, Vue, or whatever you like. Make corresponding Slices in Prismic. Start building pages dynamically in minutes. Get started at prismic.io/syntax. Show Notes 2:36 - What is it? 5:43 - How do you calculate it? Big Mac Index Purchasing Power Parity Spotify Pricing Index Glassdoor Just ask developers what they make 8:04 - How do you implement it? Cloudflare headers Dealing with VPNs Does it work with sales? 16:09 - Is it client-side only? Links country-emoji npm package Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

23 Mar 202018min

In this episode of Syntax, Scott and Wes talk about React Hooks, one year later — what’s changed, how to use them, and more! Sanity - Sponsor Sanity.io is a real-time headless CMS with a fully customizable Content Studio built in React. Get a Sanity powered site up and running in minutes at sanity.io/create. Get an awesome supercharged free developer plan on sanity.io/syntax. Sentry - Sponsor If you want to know what’s happening with your errors, track them with Sentry. Sentry is open-source error tracking that helps developers monitor and fix crashes in real time. Cut your time on error resolution from five hours to five minutes. It works with any language and integrates with dozens of other services. Syntax listeners can get two months for free by visiting Sentry.io and using the coupon code “tastytreat”. Show Notes 1:26 - Hooks vs Render Props Hooks win hands down useState useReducer useRef useContext useEffect Custom hooks to hide and encapsulate functionality 35:06 - How we use them Scott Index that imports all custom hooks Babel alias to hooks folder Import { useHook } from ‘hooks’ useContextState Wes useResizeObserver useForm useGridRower useWickedFavIcon 45:54 - Which built-in hooks do we not use? useImperativeHandle useCallback useDebugValue 48:22 - Are hooks harder to learn? Wes: Yes — but easier to maintain after the fact Scott: Yes — harder conceptually and initially but easier after concepts are understood 50:29 - Are classes going away? Wes: I say yes Scott: Double yes Links Syntax Ep 092: React Hooks Making setInterval Declarative with React Hooks - Dan Abramov babel-plugin-module-resolver awesome-uses uses.tech ××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ××× Scott: Ars Technica War Stories Wes: Mpow CH1 Kids Headphones Shameless Plugs Scott: All Courses - Sign up for the year and save 25%! Wes: All Courses - Use the coupon code ‘Syntax’ for $10 off! Tweet us your tasty treats! Scott’s Instagram LevelUpTutorials Instagram Wes’ Instagram Wes’ Twitter Wes’ Facebook Scott’s Twitter Make sure to include @SyntaxFM in your tweets

18 Mar 20201h 1min