11 Habits of Highly Effective Developers

Scott and Wes explore the world of coding agents, diving into tools like Cursor and Windsurf that promise to change how we write and manage code. They discuss modes, workflows, and practical tips for experimenting with these AI-powered tools in your next project. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 04:12 What are AI Agents? Cursor Features, Windsurf Features. 07:25 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 07:50 Chat Mode. 08:11 Composer Mode. 08:55 Agent Mode. 10:03 Inline Chat Mode. 11:02 JavaScript Set Methods Demo. Wes’ Example on X. 16:10 Fire Dispatch Data. 20:01 Rules Files. Cursor Directory. 22:37 Use screenshots. 23:36 Refactoring to separate files. 23:53 Use it to experiment. 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

27 Jan 27min

Wes and Scott talk with Kevin Hou and Varun Mohan from Windsurf about the evolving landscape of AI in coding, and the future of software development. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:50 The origins of Windsurf and Codeium Windsurf Codeium Vs Code Cursor 03:14 Rethinking IDE UX 05:45 Will Microsoft eventually implement these AI features in VS Code? 09:27 The "agentic" editor concept 17:58 The future of software development with AI 24:37 AI in large codebases 28:22 Brought to you by Sentry.io 28:46 How does AI stay current with frequent language/library updates? 33:07 Behind Windsurf's fresh design 35:23 Challenges with forking VS Code 38:47 AI and future innovations 43:04 How Windsurf approaches AI experimentation 45:11 Pricing and user segments 48:38 Will Windsurf ever run in the browser? 50:58 Sick Pick + Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Kevin: Ricoh GR IIIx Varun: Di2 Shifter Shameless Plugs Windsurf 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

22 Jan 57min

Scott and Wes explore the experimental world of running TypeScript in Node, breaking down the differences between type stripping and compiling. They cover the pros, cons, and quirks of the current implementation, plus explore tools like tsx, ts-node, and even alternatives like Deno. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:41 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:29 Running TypeScript in Node. 01:45 Experimental Type Stripping. 03:17 TypeScript refresher. 04:05 TypeScript can be compiled and/or Type Stripped. 05:09 Current Node implementation is only type stripping. 05:40 Limitations of no compiling. 05:57 Enums. 08:30 Other issues. 08:35 Parameter properties. 09:20 Experimental transform types. 10:01 Importing types with type keyword. 11:17 No need for sourcemaps. 11:42 No dependencies. 13:08 Other tools. 13:25 tsx. 14:28 ts-node. 14:44 JSDoc. 16:30 Deno and Bun. 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

20 Jan 18min

Wes and Scott talk about the State of JavaScript survey, tends, popular features, and the evolving landscape of tools and frameworks. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:27 Brought to you by Sentry.io 01:16 The state of JavaScript Twitter fantasy football 02:27 Syntax features The State of JavaScript survey 05:27 Logical assignment 07:49 Strings 08:18 Arrays 14:16 Sets 2025 New Years resolution: use maps and sets more and objects / arrays less. 16:10 Browser APIs 22:50 Library tiers list 27:21 Upgrading from M1 Mac Chris Coyier - M4 30:08 Front-end frameworks 32:18 The top front-end frameworks used at work 33:49 What is the highest paying framework? 35:01 Meta frameworks 36:32 Meta frameworks pain points 42:33 Testing tools 43:58 Build tools 44:41 Most used libraries 46:33 Back-end frameworks 48:34 JavaScript runtimes 50:35 Serverless runtimes 51:25 Other languages people are using 52:49 AI tools 53:37 The State of JS Awards 57:18 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Wes: Headted Vest Scott: Super Mario Party Jamboree Shameless Plugs Syntax YouTube Channel 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

15 Jan 1h 2min

What’s the deal with Zero Sync? Scott and Wes dive into this cutting-edge database tech, exploring its real-time interactivity, blazing-fast performance, and how it stacks up against the competition. Plus, they break down setup, querying, authentication, and whether it’s ready for prime time. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:59 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 02:21 Today’s agenda. 02:52 What is Zero Sync? The Docs. InstantDB. 07:02 Zerobugs loading speed. 11:04 Real-time interactivity. 11:38 Why is it different? 12:11 How to get it set up. 12:58 Querying Data. 16:22 Writing data. 16:31 Upsert. 17:39 Authentication and permissions. Johannes Schickling Ep 767. 19:27 Preloading. 19:41 Migrations and deployment. 20:17 Some extras. 21:16 CreateSubscriber. 23:08 Can you use this today? Zero Syn Roadmap. Scott’s YouTube Video. 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 Jan 29min

Scott and Wes look into their crystal ball to predict what’s coming in web development next year. From the rise of on-device AI to the vanilla CSS comeback, Bun’s big moves, and React’s evolution, this episode is packed with bold predictions and hot takes! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:00 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:09 The agenda. 03:40 Temporal Javascript api will ship in Safari and Chrome. Temporal Proposal. 06:23 On device AI. WebGPU API Dawn Native WebGPU 10:26 Models will plateau. Bolt.new, v0, Lovable.dev. 13:40 Web Awesome will become the most used web components library. Web Awesome. 15:57 We will be using more web components. 16:59 A push towards the ‘standard stack’. 19:38 We can really use relative color. 21:39 Vanilla CSS comeback. 23:35 A complete Mixins / Functions API for CSS. 24:27 Conditionals will ship in all browsers. 25:50 People will still make vertical centering jokes. 27:08 VSCode will be feature parity with Cursor. 28:22 Framework choice will matter less with AI tools. 29:12 OpenAI will launch a browser. Dupe.com. Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy. Krazy Binz. 37:18 React will drop Babel. BabelJS. 38:05 React Server Components will pop. 39:46 Remix will relaunch as something entirely different. 41:11 React Native will have it’s time. 42:06 Svelte will get component-based islands or data loading. 44:19 Server Runtimes, Bun will continue to do non-standard, lovable things. 44:44 Bun will release a PAS to compete with NPM, Vercel, and Vite. 46:06 Laravel will release a CMS. 47:57 Vite will stay king. 48:03 Rolldown ships in the next version of Vite. Rolldown. Statamic. 49:35 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Scott: PHILIPS A19 Ultra Definition Dimmable Light Bulb. Wes: Stats App. 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

8 Jan 52min

Scott and Wes challenge each other’s knowledge on everything from array sorting quirks to browser isolation types in a rapid-fire trivia format. They dive deep into performance optimizations, TypeScript type safety, and HTML best practices while uncovering surprising edge cases that every web developer should know about. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:43 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 01:23 Question 1: Array Sort Default Behavior. 03:24 Question 2: Splitting Into Individual Words & Characters. 06:06 Question 3: NodeJS Stream Backpressure. 09:07 Question 4: Custom Middleware Rate Limiting. 13:00 Question 5: Transform Function Property Changes. 15:18 Question 6: TranslateZ & Will-Change Performance. 17:52 Question 7: Table Structure Best Practices. 20:23 Question 8: Dialog vs Div with Dialog Role. 23:21 Question 9: TypeScript Unknown vs Any & Never. 26:31 Question 10: Response Type Safety in TypeScript. 29:48 Question 11: Browser Isolation Types. 32:54 Question 12: HTML Quirks Mode Behavior. 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 Jan 35min

Scott and Wes ring in the new year, answering listener questions on the rise of durable objects, handling tricky tab state in e-commerce apps, and their top picks for headless CMS. They also chat about the future of CSS, deployment platforms, and whether Syntax beanies might finally be a thing! Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:52 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 03:10 What Are Durable Objects? 08:25 CSS Anchor Positioning: Cross-Browser Support Update. Implement CSS Anchor Positioning. 12:48 Freelancers: UX and Design Skills vs. Functional Expertise. 16:47 Choosing the Best Deployment Platform. Syntax Episode 615. 20:49 Making Websites WCAG Compliant. Polypane. 22:35 Managing Tab State in Complex Apps. 28:43 Will CSS Ever Be Complete? 33:21 When Will Syntax Beanies Drop? Syntax Swag Store. 35:21 The Best Headless CMS for a Tech Blog. 42:15 From Many Packages to Monolithic Frameworks. 46:41 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Scott: The Sheet with Jeff Marek. Wes: 28” 4K+ BenQ Programming Monitor. 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

1 Jan 52min