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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.

Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

Wes and Scott talk with Dr. Courtney Tolinski about supporting neurodivergent teammates, navigating workplace dynamics, and recognizing strengths beyond labels. They explore ADHD diagnosis and treatment, productivity mindsets, burnout, AI in mental health, and practical routines for focus and balance.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

00:09 Meet Dr. Courtney Tolinski

01:46 Supporting neurodivergent team members

12:26 Should I disclose my ADHD diagnosis at work?

17:21 Characteristics of autism and ADHD

22:37 Seeking diagnosis as an adult developer

28:04 Brought to you by Sentry.io

32:18 Uncoupling identity from productivity

38:06 Is overtime ever “worth it”?

42:34 AI as a mental health tool: hope or hype?

46:32 Will therapists be replaced by AI?

49:29 Burnout warning signs in high-performers

55:15 Sick picks + shameless plugs

Sick Picks

Courtney: Bentgo Glass Containers

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

942: Mental Health Q&A w/ Dr. Courtney Tolinski

Scott heads to Microsoft’s campus for the VS Code Insider Summit to sit down with Dr. Sarah Bird and explore what “Responsible AI” really means for developers. From protecting user privacy to keeping humans in the loop, they dig into how everyday coders can play a role in shaping AI’s future.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

01:27 Brought to you by Sentry.io.

03:13 The path the machine learning.

04:44 How do you get to ‘Responsible AI’?

06:43 Is there such a thing as ‘Responsible AI’?

07:34 Does the average developer have a part to play?

09:12 How can AI tools protect inexperienced users?

11:55 Let’s talk about user and company privacy.

13:57 Are local tools and services becoming more viable?

15:06 Are people right to be skeptical?

16:58 The software developer role is fundamentally changing.

17:43 Human in the loop.

19:37 The career path to Responsible AI.

21:21 Sick Picks.

Sick Picks

Sarah: Japanese pottery

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

941: Is Responsible AI Possible? with Dr. Sarah Bird of Microsoft

In this potluck episode, Wes and Scott answer your questions about modern full-stack stacks, Node.js backend options, managing database indexes, developer burnout, handling toxic bosses, and more!

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

02:36 What’s your go-to Node.js backend in 2025?

Polka

06:18 Do you proactively manage database indexes—or fix them only when they become a problem?

09:40 Brought to you by Sentry.io

12:14 After planning a new project, what’s your real-world dev workflow?

931: Project Init - How to Make Good Choices When Starting a New Coding Project

18:19 What to do when you’re feeling burned out as a developer

23:34 Picking the right tech stack for your partner’s website

28:18 How do you deal with a toxic boss?

33:10 The ideal tech stack for launching a SaaS MVP

39:46 Is GraphQL still worth it vs REST or RPC?

44:26 Is Vercel steering modern web dev in the wrong direction?

51:20 What’s up with TanStack Forms?

TanStack Form Latest

59:35 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

Scott: Flesh and Code

Wes: WAGO connectors

Shameless Plugs

Syntax YouTube Channel

Hit us up on Socials!

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Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

940: Picking a Fullstack Stack, Is Next.js Too Complex? Services vs Self-Hosted + More

Scott and Wes sit down with Evan You, creator of Vue, Vite, and VoidZero, to dig into the future of frontend tooling. From the speed of Rolldown to why he chose Rust, they explore the evolution of developer experience, bundlers, and what’s next for the web.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

00:31 Who is Evan You?

Vue.js.

Vite.

Void0

01:19 Making the shift from UI to Toolchains.

02:37 How aesthetics contributed to the success of Vue and Vite.

05:26 Adding Rollup plugins to the Dev Server.

07:31 Brought to you by Sentry.io.

07:56 Rollup and Rolldown explained.

09:29 NAPIRS.

10:02 Why Rust and not Go?

SWC, OXC.

12:04 Rolldown’s speed and performance.

OXC Allocator.

15:09 Dealing with massive buildtimes.

17:42 How has the transition been?

20:34 Why do we even need a bundler?

23:25 Vite’s superior developer experience.

26:01 Fullstack Vue?

31:45 Node and Vite’s relationship.

35:41 Wes’ wishlist.

vite-dir.

37:28 Hot takes.

37:37 Would Next be better with Vite?

41:09 Thoughts on React Server Components.

43:40 Thought on Remix 3.

46:22 Tell us about Void0.

51:36 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs.

Sick Picks

Evan: Laravel Lamborghini Shaped Stress Toys

Shameless Plugs

Evan: Viteconf, Vite, CultRepo.

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

939: Creator of Vite: Evan You

Wes and Scott dive into some hot takes and classic debates—tabs vs spaces, camel vs snake case, export styles, barrel files, variable naming, and more.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

01:26 CSS variables: descriptive vs. semantic

03:38 snake_case vs. camelCase

04:54 Default exports vs. named exports

06:23 Barrel files vs. direct imports

09:15 Function declaration vs. function expression

11:00 Inferred types vs. explicit types

13:40 Brought to you by Sentry.io

14:40 Long and explicit variable names vs. short with comments

16:27 Self-documenting code vs. code comments

17:03 Rebase vs. merge commit

18:39 Naming event parameters: e vs. event

20:33 Tabs vs. spaces

22:18 Big line height vs. small line height

23:50 Hard line length vs. line wrap

Hit us up on Socials!

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Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

938: Hot Takes + Bike Shedding

Scott takes Wes on a tour of Omarchy, DHH’s polished Arch + Hyprland Linux setup that promises speed, beauty, and endless keyboard shortcuts. From first impressions to daily workflows, Scott debates whether it’s good enough to pull him out of the Apple ecosystem for good.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

02:31 Brought to you by Sentry.io.

02:55 What is Omarchy?

02:57 Arch-based distribution.

03:42 Hyprland window management.

05:08 Wayland Display Server Protocol.

06:27 Installation Defaults.

06:53 System-wide shortcuts.

09:01 My first impressions.

09:41 Connecting to my NAS.

10:54 Gigantic UI.

12:21 Day 2 Experiences.

13:22 Resizing window challenges.

16:11 Neovim and Lazyvim.

16:49 Lazygit.

19:07 How do you use it and why is it good.

19:14 Command Palette.

19:49 Raycast.

Recreating Raycast.

20:50 Using the app launcher.

21:25 Screensavers.

21:59 OS Style.

22:55 My apps, my apps, my apps, check it out.

25:07 Is the hardware comparable to Mac’s M processors?

27:24 Installing new apps.

29:26 Web apps as first class citizens.

32:47 What I’ll miss.

35:56 What’s going on with MacOS UI?

38:37 Annoyances.

39:31 My advice.

Read the Manual.

44:39 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.

Sick Picks

Scott: Omarchy Manual.

Wes: Ugreen 200w Charger, Silicone USB C.

Shameless Plugs

Scott: Syntax on YouTube.

Hit us up on Socials!

Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

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Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

937: Is The Omarchy Hype Real?

Scott, Wes, and CJ dive into Wes’s Hackweek project: a real-time, web-controlled LED grid. They break down the hardware build, custom 3D-printed diffuser, ESP32 microcontroller, and Cloudflare durable objects powering live pixel art, GitHub activity displays, and interactive web drawings.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

02:03 Wes’ Hackweek project: a web-controlled LED grid

03:52 The hardware: LED panels, soldering, and power

WS2812 LED panels

06:38 ESP32 microcontroller and WLED firmware explained

ESP32 Microcontroller

10:57 Power supply challenges and injection fixes

15:05 Debugging and testing a DIY LED matrix

15:56 Shorts, blown circuits, and melted wires

17:58 Designing and 3D-printing the diffuser for crisp pixels

21:29 The software: Cloudflare Durable Objects + Party Server

Cloudflare Durable Objects

Party.server

22:18 Real-time sync and state management across clients

Party Client

28:43 Connecting the server to the LED hardware

41:51 Open access fun: scripts, NSFW images, and moderation

Cloudflare tunnel

44:10 Live demos

45:34 Future plans: stats, rooms, and making it always-on

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

936: Realtime LED Wall With React + Websockets (I Let Strangers Control It)

CJ takes us behind the scenes of Hackweek to share how he built a custom Sega Genesis game from scratch, complete with assembly code, level loading, and retro hardware tricks. From SGDK to parallax faking, this episode is a deep dive into old-school game dev with a modern twist.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

00:44 Why a Sega game?

Sega Genesis.

Sega Master System.

MKBHD Retro Tech: Sega.

06:55 What is it running on?

07:49 Working with assembly code.

10:11 Sega Genesis Development Kit.

Stephane-D GitHub.

10:54 Awesome Megadrive.

12:02 Booting on an emulator.

13:07 Gens and KMod.

15:54 Compiling stage.

17:44 Genesis Code VS Code Extension.

18:22 Images and Assets.

19:46 Loading images with bitmap.

23:50 Megacat Studios.

25:21 Z index?

Faking Parallax.

27:34 Specific code examples.

27:51 Platformer Engine.

30:01 Platformer Sample Game.

30:44 LDTK (Level Designer Toolkit).

33:13 Tiled Collision mapping.

37:42 What about debugging?

39:37 Loading in levels.

RetroGameMechanicsExplained.

Sega Mega-CD Development Unit.

43:56 Challenges with graphics.

49:56 Adding music.

Super Cartridge.

Flahskit Programmer MD.

Flashkit Cart MD.

Hit us up on Socials!

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Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads

Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

935: CJ Made A Sega Game In 2025

Scott, Wes, and CJ dive into SynHax, Scott’s Hackweek project for code battles. They discuss live coding duels, referee controls, and the surprisingly simple tech stack that delivers instant updates and audience engagement.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

01:50 Brought to you by Sentry.io

02:30 What is SynHax?

This Button Broke Our Brains (CSS Challenge)

04:21 The Stack

SvelteKit

Postgres

Drizzle

Zero Sync

Better Auth

Syntax 931: How to make good choices when starting a coding project

07:39 How it works

15:03 The battle experience

28:28 Fun details

34:12 Creating new battles & the admin dashboard

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

934: We Built a Real-Time, Local-Data, Competitive Coding Game

It’s Hackweek at Syntax! Scott, Wes, and CJ break down what Hackweek is all about - how they picked their projects, what came out of them, and why it’s the best excuse to experiment, build, and have fun before the deep-dive episodes roll in.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!

00:04 What is Hackweek?

01:05 Hackweek projects spark motivation.

04:05 Choosing our projects.

04:34 What we chose.

05:11 CJ’s Hackweek Project.

05:51 Using SGDK C language toolkit.

07:02 Writing to an Everdrive.

08:09 What game engine did you use?

Platformer Engine.

LDtk.

12:11 What was the end result?

14:09 Wes’ Hackweek Project.

16:15 Why hardware projects?

Watch the Video Here.

19:09 Scott’s Hackweek Project.

Watch the Video Here.

21:42 Early considerations.

25:42 AI usage.

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

933: Hackweek Overview - What Is It, What Did We Build

Scott and Wes debate whether your website really needs JavaScript to function. They explore the principles of web standards, progressive enhancement, and test popular websites like Shopify and Netflix to see how they perform without JavaScript.
 Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
 00:11 Take 2
 01:43 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
 02:19 The clip summarized. 03:16 Your website should load, be readable and be (mostly) styled without JavaScript.
 07:32 Web standards first. If it can be done without JavaScript, it should be. 08:09 What if the CSS doesn’t load?
 10:20 Linking
 10:24 Forms.
 12:11 Links (Duh, but also c’mon!)
 12:35 Query parameters.
 
 13:57 Server render if possible.
 
 15:20 Progressive Enhancement. 17:24 CSS Page Transitions.
 
 19:07 Let’s test websites out. 19:15 Shopify.
 22:16 Syntax.fm.
 25:23 Netflix. 27:27 Local first and offline service workers.
 
 29:27 TikTok.
 29:33 GitHub.
 
 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

804: Should Your Website Work Without JavaScript?

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