Technology
**ConTejas Code**

ConTejas Code is a podcast in the web engineering space that has deep dives on various topics between frontend engineering with React, TypeScript, Next.js, and backend engineering with Kafka, Postgres, and more. The series is a mix of long-form content and guest episodes with industry leaders in the web engineering space.

From the podcast, listeners will take away actionable best practices that you can integrate into your workflows as well as valuable insights from prominent people in the industry.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Latest Episodes:

Matt Pocock: How to Maximize Success with TypeScript and Career Nov 18, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/Codecrafters

- Total TypeScript: https://www.totaltypescript.com/

- Matt on X: https://x.com/mattpocockuk

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejasq

In this conversation, Matt Pocock and I discuss the fundamentals of TypeScript and its benefits. We explore the concept of types in JavaScript and how TypeScript enhances the development process by providing a shorter feedback loop. The conversation dives into the topic of complex types in TypeScript and the challenges we explore.

Additionally, Matt reflects on his journey from being self-employed to working full-time and then back to being self-employed. He discusses the intensity and drive he brought to his work, the importance of finding a direct link between effort and reward, and the satisfaction of seeing results.

Matt shares his experience of working on XState and growing his presence in the tech community through teaching and creating content. He also talks about the wave of success he experienced and how it has now shifted, leading him to consider broadening his horizons. Matt and I discuss the role of hustle culture, the balance between work and personal life, and the drive for mastery.

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro

00:07:56 What are types?

00:16:56 TypeScript and ESLint

00:22:49 Misunderstood TypeScript Fundamentals

00:31:35 Type-generated Documentation

00:38:34 Most Complex Types

00:47:42 When to use `any`

00:54:30 ts-expect-error or ts-ignore

01:01:32 Future TypeScript Wishes

01:06:30 Matt's professional journey and rise

01:14:09 Hustle Culture

01:34:05 Imposter Syndrome

01:39:53 Conclusion

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TC39: How signals work, adding signals to the JavaScript programming language Nov 11, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- TC39 Signals Proposal: https://github.com/tc39/proposal-signals

Summary

In this conversation, Kristen Maevyn, and Daniel Ehrenberg discuss reactivity and its importance in JavaScript. They explore the concept of reactivity, its role in keeping applications deterministic, and the challenges of achieving consistency in modern rendering frameworks. They also compare signals to observables and explain why signals are being considered as a language-level feature.

The conversation touches on the API for signals, the use of classes in JavaScript, and the benefits of functional programming. Signals are an evolution of the long-standing problem of managing state in JavaScript applications. They provide a solution to the issues with classes and functions by combining the benefits of both. Signals allow for encapsulation, testing in isolation, and pure functions while still being able to handle state.

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro

00:09:57 What are signals?

00:26:37 Classes and the `new` keyword

00:41:31 State Management and Signals

00:49:25 Push-based vs. Pull-based Reactivity

01:04:43 Language-level vs. Framework-level Signals

01:14:27 Server-side Signals

01:25:06 Self-referencing Signals

01:36:29 Audience Q&A

01:47:07 Conclusion

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Paul Klein IV: How to Build Browsers for AI Agents Nov 04, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- React Africa (partner): https://react-africa.com/

- Browserbase: https://browserbase.com/

- Browserbase Series A Announcement: https://www.kleinerperkins.com/perspectives/browserbase-AI-seriesa/

- Paul on X: https://x.com/pk_iv

Summary

In this conversation, we talk to Paul Klein IV, the founder of BrowserBase. We discuss the concept of browser-based software and its potential to automate tasks on the web. Paul explains that the future of software is one where it does the work for us, and Browserbase is designed to power this future by providing a programmable web browser for AI applications.

We also touch on the challenges of running browser automation frameworks in production and how Browserbase solves these challenges. Paul introduces Stagehand, an open-source SDK that helps developers automate web workflows, and emphasizes the importance of ethical use of browser automation tools. Customers are building various applications on Browserbase, including web scraping, testing, AI agents, B2B software, and professional services.

The company has experienced rapid growth, with thousands of hours of browser sessions per week. To handle the scale, Browserbase had to make architectural changes, such as moving from Postgres to ClickHouse for better performance. They also had to address challenges like connection management, resource allocation, and debugging customer issues. The founder believes they have achieved product-market fit based on strong customer retention and repeatable growth strategies.

Browserbase is a technical product, so the number one priority for hiring is that candidates are technical and understand what Browserbase does. The team is currently focused on growing the top of the funnel and the sales edge side. They have specific roles for growth engineers and customer-focused engineers. The company recently raised a Series A round of $27M, with the goal of becoming a category-defining infrastructure company. The pricing model for Browserbase includes a hobby plan, a startup plan, and a scale plan. The company offers 10 free sessions for users to try out the product.

Chapters

00:00:00 Paul Klein IV

00:04:41 Why Browserbase?

00:11:57 What is Browserbase?

00:19:09 Stagehand: the open source SDK

00:35:30 How People are Using Browserbase

00:49:17 Creating web APIs where there are none

00:59:40 Product-Market Fit

01:06:16 AI Engineering at Browserbase

01:08:42 Remote Work vs. Onsite

01:13:36 Browserbase's Series A Round

01:20:02 AI Fatigue

01:28:11 Advice for Founders

01:32:10 Conclusion

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Kelly Vaughn: How to Navigate Career Transitions and Build Meaningful Relationships Oct 28, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- React Brussels: https://react.brussels

- React Africa: https://react-africa.com

- Kelly on X: https://x.com/kvlly

- Spot AI: https://spot.ai

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar

Summary

Kelly Vaughn, Director of Engineering at Spot AI, shares her unique career journey from self-taught coder to entrepreneur and now corporate leader. She discusses running a Shopify agency, co-founding a venture-backed startup, and transitioning to her current role. Key points include:

- The challenges of running an agency and managing employee livelihoods

- Insights on bootstrapping vs. venture funding for startups

- The importance of genuine relationships and networking in career growth

- Adapting to different company stages and cultures

- Navigating the transition from entrepreneur to corporate employee

- The value of diverse backgrounds in tech leadership roles

Kelly emphasizes the importance of self-reflection, embracing change, and learning from failures throughout one's career journey.

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro

00:05:08 Spot AI: Video Intelligence

00:12:46 Dealing with Rapid Growth

00:17:05 Getting into Tech

00:22:25 TapRoom Consultancy/Shopify

00:32:35 Running a Consultancy

00:39:09 Venture Capital or no?

00:40:08 Shutting Down Consultancy

00:41:11 Attention, Effort, Mistakes as a Path to Growth

00:47:26 The Pressure of Running a Business

00:52:05 How to find a job: networking

01:01:02 Being taken advantage of

01:04:59 How Kelly got her audience

01:08:31 Big audience problems

01:12:01 Therapist and Engineering Leadership

01:18:18 Boundaries

01:26:06 Advice for Founders

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Aya Bochman, co-founder Fashn.ai: How to build a lean AI startup (that makes money) Oct 21, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Upvote Fashn on ProductHunt: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/fashn-virtual-try-on

- Fashn: https://fashn.ai

- Aya on 𝕏: https://x.com/ayaboch

- React Africa (partner): https://react-africa.com

Summary

Aya Bochman, co-founder of Fashion AI, discusses her journey in creating a generative AI platform for virtual try-on in the fashion industry. She shares insights on building a self-funded startup, the challenges of developing AI models, and the importance of work-life balance for founders.

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction to Fashion AI

00:07:42 Demo and product description

00:11:10 Technical challenges in virtual try-on

00:17:48 Data collection and labeling process

00:26:51 API development and pricing model

00:34:45 Collaboration with other services (RunPod, Fal.ai)

00:43:02 Dealing with content moderation

00:46:46 Business model and pricing structure

00:52:12 Incident with Meta and open-source code

00:59:10 Future plans and potential competition

01:03:13 Advice for technical founders

01:20:12 Work-life balance and avoiding burnout

01:29:51 Working with a spouse as a co-founder

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Peer Richelsen, founder Cal.com: How to build an open startup Oct 14, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- React Brussels: https://react.brussels

- React Africa: https://react-africa.com

- Cal.com: https://cal.com

- Peer on X: https://x.com/peer_rich

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this discussion, Peer Richelsen, co-founder of Cal.com, shared insights into the company's open-source scheduling infrastructure. Cal.com offers customizable scheduling solutions for individuals and enterprises across various industries, with its open-source approach driving rapid development and community engagement. Richelsen highlighted key features like "instant meetings" for customer support and discussed the platform's technical architecture, primarily based on Next.js with plans to partially migrate to Nest.js.

The conversation also touched on Cal.com's cautious approach to AI integration, its structure as a U.S. entity despite European roots, and commitment to transparency in operations. Richelsen expressed satisfaction with Cal.com's current trajectory, outlining plans to enhance offerings in healthcare scheduling, improve sales team routing, and expand capabilities across different sectors. Throughout the discussion, Richelsen's passion for open-source development and innovative scheduling solutions was evident.

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro

00:03:52 Supabase hate

00:04:41 What is Cal.com?

00:09:12 Balancing Open Source Maintenance and New Features

00:14:34 Prioritizing Customer Feedback

00:18:33 Cal.com's Product-Market fit

00:22:12 Cal.com's Transparency (Open Startup)

00:25:02 Cal.com's Hiring Process

00:29:10 Location based pay nuance

00:35:55 Cal.com stats: active users and recurring revenue

00:42:51 Cal.com technical deep dive

00:54:06 Cal.com API Platform

00:58:01 Cal.com Atoms

01:06:15 Cal.ai AI-enabled scheduling agent

01:18:16 What founders should know about running a startup

01:27:24 Future experimental Cal.com features

01:30:36 Germany's Startup Reputation (bad)

01:33:57 Positioning and Marketing for Cal.com

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Harper Carroll: How Machine Learning Works, What AI Engineering is, the Future of AI Oct 07, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- React Africa (partner): https://react-africa.com/

- Harper Carroll: https://harpercarrollai.com/

- 10 Days of AI Basics Course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie7qxG9os1U&list=PL-ocKywdn6lE9l4LIPL4gMY4nNRfjEswG&pp=iAQB

- Harper on X: https://x.com/harperscarroll

- Isabelle Boemeke on X: https://x.com/isabelleboemeke

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this enlightening conversation with Harper Carroll, we dove deep into the world of AI, covering everything from the basics of neural networks to the cutting-edge concepts of AI agents. Harper's expertise, stemming from her 10 years of Stanford education, provided invaluable insights into the inner workings of machine learning models.

We explored the environmental impact of AI and the potential role of nuclear energy in sustaining AI development. Harper's balanced view on AI's future was refreshing, emphasizing its potential for optimization rather than doom-and-gloom scenarios. The discussion concluded with thought-provoking reflections on AI's potential to free humanity for more creative pursuits and its possible connection to fundamental universal principles of peace and love.

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro

00:06:09 What is AI?

00:11:34 Machine Learning Deep Dive

00:17:08 Impostor Syndrome

00:22:11 Machine Learning Deep Dive Continued

00:28:04 What are Hidden Layers?

00:34:29 Model Architectures

00:37:04 How do embeddings models work?

00:40:23 AI Engineering Deep Dive

00:48:06 Smaller specialized models vs. LLMs (Large Language Models)

00:49:57 Hallucinations and RAG

00:52:16 Fine-tuning a model and blends

00:55:24 RAG vs. Fine-tuning

01:00:31 RAG Explained

01:04:15 Machine Learning Evals

01:10:28 Backpropagation

01:12:44 AI Agents

01:16:25 Agentic RAG

01:17:51 AI and Energy: The rise of nuclear power

01:25:06 AI Optimism vs. Doomerism

01:31:27 AGI and Superintelligence

01:36:22 Hope for the future with AI

01:41:03 Conclusion

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ChatGPT: How to Train an LLM, Ethics, and the future of AI Sep 30, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- SquiggleConf: https://squiggleconf.com/

- ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com

Summary

In this groundbreaking episode of the ConTejas Code Podcast, we engage in a deep conversation with ChatGPT, exploring the intricacies of AI, its ethical implications, and the future of human-computer interaction. The discussion covers the training process of AI models, the importance of ethical data sourcing, and the challenges of transparency in AI development. The episode also dives into philosophical dilemmas like the trolley problem, the potential for AI to replace human jobs, and the unique qualities that make us human. Throughout the conversation, the complexities of latent space and voice modeling are examined, culminating in a reflection on the irreplaceable aspects of human experience.

Chapters

00:00:00 Intro

00:07:39 How to Build an LLM

00:10:04 Copyrights and Ethics

00:17:13 Is OpenAI Actually Open?

00:37:10 An Open AI Supervision Committee

00:45:21 Training an LLM

00:51:11 Optimizing Hyperparameters for Machine Learning

00:59:44 What did Ilya see?

01:00:14 Superintelligence Threats to Humanity

01:07:25 The Trolley Problem

01:13:24 AI on Trump vs. Kamala

01:19:47 What Questions Would ChatGPT Like to Answer?

01:22:04 The Future of AI: Dystopian or Hopeful?

01:28:15 Latent Space Explained

01:41:28 AI Consciousness

01:46:03 Conclusion

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Tracy Lee, CEO This Dot: How to be successful in DevRel with AI Sep 23, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Wix (sponsor): https://tej.as/wix

- SquiggleConf: https://squiggleconf.com/

- Tracy Lee on X: https://twitter.com/ladyleet

- This Dot Labs: https://www.thisdot.co/

- RxJS: https://rxjs.dev/

- GitHub Copilot: https://github.com/features/copilot

- CascadiaJS Conference: https://2023.cascadiajs.com/

- Render: https://render.com/

- Vercel: https://vercel.com/

- Netlify: https://www.netlify.com/

- AWS Amplify: https://aws.amazon.com/amplify/

- Michael Terrell Coaching: https://www.michaelwterrell.com/

- Cal Newport's "Deep Work": https://www.calnewport.com/books/deep-work/

- O'Reilly Media: https://www.oreilly.com/

Summary

In this episode, Tracy Lee, CEO and co-founder of [This Dot Labs](https://www.thisdot.co/) shares her inspiring journey from hosting JavaScript meetups to becoming a prominent figure in the tech industry. She explores the evolution of This Dot Labs, highlighting the crucial role of open source contributions and community building in its success.

Tracy emphasizes the significance of Developer Relations (DevRel) in fostering long-term relationships and brand awareness. The discussion touches on current industry trends, including the increasing integration of AI technologies like GitHub Copilot in development workflows, and how This Dot Labs navigates client policies regarding AI usage.

We also explore the challenges of scaling a consultancy, the importance of hiring autonomous and entrepreneurial-minded individuals, and strategies for effective team building. Tracy sheds light on the need for leaders to be coachable and receptive to feedback, sharing personal anecdotes about growth and learning. The conversation wraps up with insights into This Dot Labs' future directions, including expanding services in AI consulting and backend technologies.

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:06:25 Building This Dot Labs

00:10:40 The Role of Open Source

00:14:15 Importance of DevRel

00:22:45 Challenges in Consultancy

00:27:00 AI Integration in Client Projects

00:31:35 Hiring Autonomous Individuals

00:36:20 DevRel's Value in the Current Economy

00:40:55 Emotional Intelligence and Leadership

00:45:15 Balancing Business and Personal Connections

00:50:30 Expanding Services at This Dot Labs

00:55:45 Future Directions and Vision

01:00:00 Impact of AI on the Industry

01:15:00 The Importance of Being Coachable

01:20:30 Overcoming Personal Challenges

01:25:40 Advice for Aspiring Tech CEOs and Founders

01:35:15 Looking Ahead: This Dot's Next Steps

01:40:00 Final Reflections and Closing Thoughts

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Alex Moldovan, founder JS Heroes: How to Organize a Community-first JavaScript Conference Sep 16, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Wix (sponsor): https://tej.as/wix

- SquiggleConf (partner): https://squiggleconf.com/

- JS Heroes: https://jsheroes.io/

- Alex on X: https://x.com/alexnmoldovan

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary:

In this discussion, we talk to Alex Moldovan, a software engineer at CodeSandbox and event planner who co-founded JS Heroes—a non-profit, community-driven JavaScript (Programming Language) conference in Romania. Together, we cover the intricacies of project management, event planning, and the challenges of organizing a conference that prioritizes open source values and community engagement.

Key topics include the benefits of a single-track format for presentations and talks, strategies for diversity and inclusion in the call for papers (CFP) process, and balancing a full-time role in technology with being a conference speaker and organizer. The discussion provides valuable insights for developers interested in community building, functional programming, and the evolving landscape of the tech industry.

Chapters

00:00:00 Alex Moldovan

00:03:54 Introduction

00:09:42 Origin of JS Heroes

00:18:17 Non-Profit Conference Model

00:25:15 Single-Track Conference Benefits

00:36:16 Transparency in Event Planning

00:43:13 Challenges with Sponsorship

00:53:27 Scaling and Quality Focus

01:04:54 Diversity in CFP Process

01:13:08 Cultural Challenges in Tech

01:23:26 Balancing Roles

01:32:26 Future Goals for JS Heroes

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Michelle Bakels: How to Optimize Developer Health Sep 12, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Wix (sponsor): https://tej.as/wix

- G2i: https://g2i.co

- Developer Health OS: https://www.g2i.co/developer-health

- Michelle on X: https://x.com/michellebakels

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this episode, Michelle Bakels from G2i discusses the importance of developer health and wellbeing. She explains G2i's Developer Health Operating System, which focuses on burnout recovery, prevention, and optimizing performance. Michelle shares insights on work-life balance, the impact of remote work, and practical strategies for maintaining physical and mental health in the tech industry.

Chapters

00:00:00 Introduction

00:06:13 Challenges developers face in the tech industry

00:12:08 External and internal pressures on developers

00:19:31 The importance of questioning and reevaluating work habits

00:24:08 G2I's focus on developer health

00:29:33 Overview of the Developer Health Operating System

00:34:26 Burnout recovery strategies

00:39:53 Workaholic tendencies and stress addiction

00:46:38 Burnout prevention techniques

00:51:58 Optimizing performance through sleep and brain health

00:59:43 Remote work's impact on productivity and work-life balance

01:09:12 Michelle's personal routine for maintaining health and productivity

01:15:11 Measuring the effectiveness of health strategies

01:20:18 G2I's four-day work week experiment

01:24:50 The importance of transparency and vulnerability in leadership

01:28:10 Conclusion and final thoughts

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Gabe Greenberg, CEO G2i: How to Bootstrap a Healthy Tech Business Sep 09, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Wix (sponsor): https://tej.as/wix

- SquiggleConf (partner): https://2024.squiggleconf.com/

- G2i: https://www.g2i.co/

- Gabe on X: https://x.com/gabe_g2i

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

- Book: "Traction" by Gino Wickman https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Gino-Wickman/dp/1936661837

- "Move Fast and Fix Things" book: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Frances-Frei/dp/1647822874

- Developer Health Operating System: https://www.devhealthos.com

- fourdayworkweek.io: https://www.fourdayworkweek.io

- Suno: https://suno.ai

- Ro.am: https://ro.am

- Loom: https://www.loom.com

- Linear: https://linear.app

- "Deep Work" book by Dr. Cal Newport: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Cal-Newport/dp/1455586692

- Dopamine Nation by Dr. Anna Lembke: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Dr-Anna-Lembke/dp/152474672X

Summary

G2i is a unique hiring community that originated from the open-source community. The company focuses on working with React, React Native, and GraphQL engineers and matching them with companies. G2i stands out for its autonomous and engineering-focused approach to solving problems. The company emphasizes clarity, prioritization, and moving fast while maintaining trust.

The Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) framework has been implemented at G2I to provide structure and clarity in running the business. The key quality that sets great engineers apart is their ability to work autonomously, take ownership, and make effective decisions.

In this conversation, Gabe and Tejas discuss the importance of developer health and its impact on revenue generation. They explore the concept of setting priorities and positioning oneself close to revenue as a founder. They also touch on the idea of creating a cohesive story around optimizing revenue and developer health. Gabe shares insights on implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) framework and the value of having a clear vision and core values. They also discuss the tools and technologies that have been crucial for successful remote work at G2I.

Chapters

00:00:00 Gabe Greenberg

00:03:45 Introduction and G2I's unique approach

00:07:16 Building a company without VC backing

00:10:42 The importance of mentors and advisory boards

00:16:08 Implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)

00:22:04 Key qualities of great engineers

00:27:44 The value of being early to new technologies

00:34:02 G2I's initiatives in AI and machine learning

00:41:30 Developer health and productivity

00:48:06 Recognizing patterns in emerging tech ecosystems

00:54:51 Identifying valuable skills in the AI era

01:02:53 G2I's work with reinforcement learning

01:08:38 Balancing revenue goals and developer wellbeing

01:16:45 Advice for technical founders and CEOs

01:23:03 Implementing goal-setting frameworks like EOS

01:28:27 Tools and strategies for successful remote work

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Josh Goldberg: How to Maximize Success with TypeScript and ESLint Sep 05, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Wix (sponsor): https://tej.as/wix

- Josh Goldberg: https://x.com/joshuakgoldberg

- Learning TypeScript: https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/-/9781098110321/

- SquiggleConf: https://2024.squiggleconf.com/

Summary

Joshua K Goldberg is a full-time independent open source maintainer in the TypeScript ecosystem. He shares his journey into open source and the importance of filling in the gaps in the ecosystem. He also discusses the best incremental migration path to TypeScript and highlights advanced features like shenanigans with type parameters and the 'satisfies' keyword. The conversation covers topics such as literals in TypeScript, writing a book, the process of writing and shipping a book, the reception of the book, the development of TypeScript ESLint, abstract syntax trees (ASTs), parsing, and static analysis. We also discuss the future of TypeScript, the performance of ESLint, and configuration tips to improve ESLint's performance.

Takeaways

1. Being a full-time independent open source maintainer is rewarding and allows for direct contributions to tools that benefit everyone.

2. When migrating to TypeScript, it's best to start with one file at a time and gradually increase strictness.

3. Type parameters in TypeScript can be complex, but they are useful for advanced scenarios.

4. The 'satisfies' keyword in TypeScript allows for declaring data that adheres to a type while still inferring a more specific type.

5. Parsing is the process of converting a string of code into an AST.

6. ESLint provides a report function that allows lint rules to report issues to the user.

7. TypeScript ESLint supports typed linting, which allows for more powerful linting rules.

8. ESLint's performance can be affected by misconfiguration, the number of plugins, and the use of ESLint plugin prettier.

9. Separating ESLint and Prettier as separate tools can improve performance.

10. Being an open-source maintainer can be challenging, but having a fallback plan and a supportive community can make it sustainable.

Chapters

00:00 Josh Goldberg

03:37 Introduction and Background

06:22 The Journey into Open Source and Filling in the Gaps

15:15 The Best Incremental Migration Path to TypeScript

28:41 Introducing the 'Satisfies' Keyword in TypeScript

30:31 The Process of Writing and Shipping a Book

35:10 The Development of TypeScript ESLint

37:26 Parsing and Static Analysis with Abstract Syntax Trees

56:54 Improving ESLint Performance: Configuration Tips

01:01:00 Understanding the Role of ASTs and Compilers in TypeScript and ESLint

01:03:42 Configuring Type Linting in TypeScript

01:06:22 The Intersection of AI with TypeScript and ESLint

01:11:53 Creating a Standardized Open-Source Sponsorship Rating System

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Kyle Corbitt, CEO OpenPipe: How to Fine-Tune Your Own Language Model (LLM) Sep 02, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Wix (Sponsor): https://tej.as/wix

- OpenPipe: https://openpipe.ai

- Kyle on X: https://x.com/corbtt

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Kyle Corbitt, founder and CEO of OpenPipe, shares the origin story of the company and his background in computer science and entrepreneurship. He discusses the evolution of machine learning and the breakthroughs that made OpenPipe possible. The conversation then dives into the process of fine-tuning models using OpenPipe, including the logging feature, data curation, and the selection of base models and hyperparameters.

The episode also explores the developer experience and the decision to create an SDK that is a drop-in replacement for the OpenAI SDK. The conversation explores the concept of overfitting in machine learning models and how it differs for language models. The validation process for fine-tuned models is discussed, including inner loop tests and outer loop evaluations.

Takeaways

1. OpenPipe was founded to help people transition easily and smoothly into fine-tuning models using machine learning.

2. The process of fine-tuning models involves logging user requests, curating data, selecting base models, and optimizing hyperparameters.

3. OpenPipe provides an SDK that is a drop-in replacement for the OpenAI SDK, making it easy for developers to integrate OpenPipe into their existing workflows.

4. The platform automates the heavy lifting of fine-tuning models, including the optimization of hyperparameters based on thousands of fine-tuned models and user-defined evaluations.

5. OpenPipe offers a seamless developer experience, allowing users to quickly and efficiently fine-tune models and deploy them for production use.

Chapters

00:00 Kyle Corbitt

03:28 The Origin Story of OpenPipe

14:34 Fine-Tuning Models with OpenPipe

33:46 Understanding Overfitting and Fine-Tuning

39:47 The Role of Hyperparameters

46:32 Validating Fine-Tuned Models

56:46 Enabling Tool Calls in Language Models

01:00:33 Unleashing the Full Potential of Language Models

01:05:09 Introduction to OpenPipe

01:10:14 Changing the Configuration Parameter

01:20:17 The Future of OpenPipe

01:25:31 The Need for a Founder's Handbook

01:32:17 Advice for Technical Founders and CEOs

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Shruti Balasa: How to Maximize Success with Tailwind CSS Aug 29, 2024

Links

- Wix Studio (sponsor): https://tej.as/wix

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Shruti Balasa's Website: https://shrutibalasa.com/

- Tailwind Weekly: https://tailwindweekly.com/

- Shruti on X: https://x.com/shrutibalasa

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Shruti Balasa, a Tailwind CSS expert, shares her journey of discovering and specializing in Tailwind CSS. She explains how Tailwind CSS enhanced her CSS skills and made her more efficient in web development. She also discusses the pain points that Tailwind CSS solves, such as context switching, naming conventions, and cross-browser compatibility.

Shruti emphasizes the importance of understanding CSS fundamentals before diving into Tailwind CSS. She also addresses common criticisms of Tailwind CSS, such as the length of class names and the use of the apply directive.

The conversation also covers topics like layers, dynamic and static components, and the use of Tailwind CSS for email design. Shruti recommends using plugins like Prettier Tailwind CSS Sorting for code organization and subscribing to Tailwind Weekly for updates on new plugins and resources. She also discusses upcoming features in Tailwind CSS, such as CSS-first configuration and container queries.

Takeaways

1. Understanding CSS fundamentals is important before diving into Tailwind CSS

2. Tailwind CSS solves pain points such as context switching and naming conventions

3. The apply directive should be used sparingly and for specific cases

4. The Tailwind config file allows customization and the creation of plugins

5. Tailwind CSS version 4 introduces auto-discovery and shifts towards using CSS for configuration

6. Tailwind CSS generates only the styles that are used in the source code with the Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler

7. Tailwind CSS is a choice and not a requirement for improving accessibility or performance.

8. Subscribing to Tailwind Weekly can provide updates on new plugins and resources.

9. Upcoming features in Tailwind CSS include CSS-first configuration and container queries.

Chapters

06:19 Discovering and Specializing in Tailwind CSS

09:33 Enhancing CSS Skills with Tailwind CSS

13:19 Solving Pain Points with Tailwind CSS

17:36 The Use of the Apply Directive in Tailwind CSS

26:16 Upcoming Changes in Tailwind CSS Version 4

34:21 The Latest State of Tailwind CSS v4 Discussions

37:33 Generating Only the Used Styles with the JIT Compiler

40:56 Maintaining Consistency in Large-Scale Projects with Custom Classes

53:47 Responsive Features in Tailwind CSS: Dark Mode and Reduced Motion

01:01:31 Tailwind CSS: A Choice for Convenience

01:04:28 Exploring Layers and Components in Tailwind CSS

01:09:00 Tailwind CSS for Email Design and Development

01:18:00 Useful Plugins for Tailwind CSS Productivity

01:22:34 Exciting Upcoming Features in Tailwind CSS

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Jeff Cross, CEO Nx: How to Build and Scale Developer Tools Aug 26, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Nx: https://nx.dev/

- Jeff on X: https://twitter.com/jeffbcross

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Jeff B. Cross, co-founder of NX, discusses the origins of NX and its evolution as a tool for monorepos. He explains the benefits of using NX, such as code mod running, large-scale migrations, and CI optimizations.

Jeff also clarifies the definition of a monorepo and how NX supports both package-based and graph-based monorepos. He highlights the features of NX that help with development, integration, and deployment, including the interactive graph, tagging system, and caching.

We also cover the ability of NX to deflake tests and shares his perspective on running a business, including the challenges of positioning and marketing, and his experience of starting NX.

Takeaways

1. NX is a powerful tool for monorepos that offers features such as code mod running, large-scale migrations, and CI optimizations.

2. A monorepo can be defined as a single repository containing multiple distinct projects with well-defined relationships.

3. NX supports both package-based and graph-based monorepos, with the latter being more suitable for application developers.

4. NX also offers features for integration and deployment, such as building affected targets, replaying builds and tests, and distributing work across multiple machines.

5. NX has the ability to deflake tests, which are tests that indeterministically fail or pass. NX detects and handles flaky tests by analyzing test results and determining if a test fails often or fails without changes in inputs or dependencies.

6. Measuring the developer experience is challenging, but NX uses user feedback, internal testing, and collaboration with enterprise customers to improve the product.

7. Positioning and marketing a product can be a difficult task, especially for a tool like NX that doesn't fit into a specific category.

8. Finding a niche and being the best in the world at it is crucial for success as a consultant or business owner.

9. Continuous adaptation and evolution are essential qualities for a CEO, as they need to be able to change and pivot as the company grows.

10. Polygraph, an upcoming feature of Nx, will provide visibility and dependency management across multiple workspaces in an organization.

Chapters

00:00:00 Jeff Cross

00:03:18 Introduction and Origins of NX

00:06:25 Understanding Monorepos and NX

00:11:04 Tools for Development and Code Consistency

00:14:56 Integration and Deployment with NX

00:36:09 Detecting and Handling Flaky Tests

00:38:20 The Developer Experience with NX

00:48:36 Understanding Lexers, Parsers, Compilers, and Rich Text Editors

01:00:54 Challenges of Positioning and Marketing

01:03:36 Starting and Running a Business

01:10:47 The impact of Nx Cloud on CI performance

01:18:49 Introducing Polygraph: Visibility and dependency management

01:27:46 What's next for Nx

01:31:47 Conclusion

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Jatin Ramanathan: How Google.com is Rendered with Wiz (Fastest UI Framework) Aug 22, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Jatin on X: https://x.com/JatinRamanathan

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Jatin Ramanathan, a software engineer at Google, discusses the Wiz framework and its use in Google products like search, photos, and payments. Wiz is a resumable web framework that focuses on loading minimal JavaScript and uses the concept of signals for reactive programming. Signals are reactive properties that reflect the state of an observable or reactive property at any given time.

The Wiz framework also incorporates JS Action, a library that listens to events and delivers them to event handlers only when necessary, reducing the amount of JavaScript that needs to be loaded. The conversation also touches on the merger of Wiz and Angular and the potential for unified APIs in the future. The conversation explores the concept of responsible JavaScript and web performance.

We dive into the use of signals and JS action in Wiz and Angular, and how they enable declarative behavior and interactivity on the client side. The discussion also touches on the challenges of using TSX in Angular and the potential for future improvements. The importance of measuring performance and understanding the user experience on different devices is emphasized, along with the use of feature flags and instrumentation to optimize the user funnel.

Takeaways

1. Wiz is a resumable web framework used in Google products like search, photos, and payments.

2. The framework focuses on loading minimal JavaScript and uses signals for reactive programming.

3. JSAction is a library that listens to events and delivers them to event handlers only when necessary, reducing the amount of JavaScript that needs to be loaded.

4. Wiz and Angular are merging to exchange ideas and potentially unify APIs in the future.

5. Signals and JSAction in Wiz and Angular enable declarative behavior and interactivity on the client side.

Chapters

00:00 Jatin Ramanathan

03:05 Welcome Jatin

06:15 Overview of Wiz and its Use in Google Products

13:00 Resumability and the Concept of Signals

36:03 Merger of Wiz and Angular: Unifying APIs

48:08 Signals and Interactivity

50:26 Declarative Behavior with Signals and JS Action

52:10 Performance of HTML and htmx

59:10 Responsible JavaScript as a Diet

01:09:26 Open Sourcing Wiz through Angular

01:13:34 Challenges of TSX in Angular

01:16:40 Declarative Behavior Composition in TSX

01:22:15 Contributing to Wiz through Angular

01:25:11 Checklist for Responsible JavaScript and Web Performance

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Kilian Valkhof, founder Polypane: How to Build and Sell a Developer-first Browser Aug 19, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Polypane: https://polypane.app/

- Kilian on X: https://x.com/kilianvalkhof

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Kilian Valkhof created Polypane, a web browser designed to enhance developer productivity. Built on Chromium with Electron, it offers features like local server sharing, live DOM view, and social media preview tools.

Polypane's development faced challenges in element injection, security, and dependency management. Valkhof balances user feedback with innovation, maintaining a user-centric approach while introducing novel features.

The business model includes a free trial and paid plans, addressing the challenge of monetizing in a market accustomed to free tools. Valkhof emphasizes clear communication of Polypane's value in the competitive DevTools space.

Throughout Polypane's journey, Valkhof has stressed the importance of comprehensive documentation, willingness to take risks, and effective user engagement. These principles guide Polypane's evolution as it aims to distinguish itself in the web development tool market.

Takeaways

1. Explore specialized tools for improved productivity

2. Consider cross-device testing for better user experience

3. Gather concrete user feedback for meaningful improvements

4. Utilize visual tools for better code understanding

5. Try free trials to evaluate tool value

6. Focus on value provided when pricing products

7. Refine messaging to effectively communicate product benefits

8. Develop active listening skills for user engagement

9. Balance user requests with innovative features

10. Invest time in comprehensive documentation

Chapters

00:00 Kilian Valkhof Introduction

03:49 Introduction and Background

07:07 Polypane: A Web Browser for Developers

10:37 The Engineering Behind Polypane

14:11 Testing and Compatibility in Polypane

19:37 Real-Time Collaboration and Testing with Polypane's Proxy Feature

35:49 Challenges of Injecting Visual Elements

42:57 The Importance of a Concrete Basis for User Feedback

44:46 Insights for Developers: Live DOM View and Head Order Visualization

57:36 Complexities of Creating Accurate Social Media Previews

01:07:24 The Business Side of Polypane: Pricing and Value

01:12:49 Getting Employers to Pay for Developer Tools

01:14:59 The Value of Developer Tools and Fair Compensation

01:21:01 Messaging and Positioning in the DevTools Space

01:23:26 Iterating on Messaging and Positioning

01:28:01 The Skill of Listening and Engaging with Users

01:29:54 Balancing User Needs and Innovative Features

01:33:09 Features That No One Asks For

01:36:58 Navigating Pushback and Communicating Decisions

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Chad Whitacre: How to Fix Open Source Sustainability Aug 15, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Fair Source License: https://fair.io/

- Sentry: https://sentry.io/

- Sentry on X: https://x.com/getsentry

- Chad on X: https://x.com/chadwhitacre_

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Chad Whitacre, Head of Open Source at Sentry, discusses his involvement in open source and the commitment of Sentry to open source. He shares his background in the Python community and his experience with open source sustainability. Chad explains the importance of community in open source and the origins of the free software movement. He also talks about Richard Stallman, the founder of the free software movement, and his impact on the open source community.

Chad discusses his role at Sentry and the company's deep roots in open source. He highlights Sentry's efforts to give back to open source maintainers and their commitment to open source sustainability. The conversation explores the tension between the pressure to grow and make money in the startup world and the act of giving back to the open-source community.

Together, we discuss how Sentry gives away half a million dollars to open-source projects. He explains that this act is part of their brand and values as a company. They believe in supporting open source, privacy, and security. Chad also talks about the challenges and ethical dilemmas of open source, including re-licensing and the tension between community and corporation. The conversation explores the concept of fair source licensing and the role of foundations in supporting open source projects. It discusses the need for a balance between user freedom and developer sustainability.

Open source is fundamentally broken within the framework of market dynamics. It writes itself out of capitalism and lacks a sustainable funding model. The current approach to funding open source involves jumping through hoops and finding adjacent business models to subsidize the work. This is not a sustainable solution. The concept of fair source, where compensation is required for commercial use of open source software, offers a potential solution. Companies can join a funding cabal or pledge to contribute a percentage of revenue to support open source projects. The goal is to create a sustainable ecosystem where developers can be fairly compensated for their work.

Chapters

00:00:00 Chad Whitacre

00:04:40 Introduction and Background

00:12:02 The Importance of Open Source and Community

00:17:12 Sentry's Commitment to Open Source

00:20:47 Supporting Open Source with Thanks.dev

00:28:49 The Tension Between Startup Growth and Giving Back to Open Source

00:39:10 The Ethical Dilemmas of Open Source and Re-Licensing

00:47:24 Balancing Community and Corporation in the Open-Source Ecosystem

00:52:20 Fair Source Licensing

00:54:06 Introducing Fair Source

00:58:05 Transitioning from BST to BSL

01:00:48 Balancing Developer Sustainability and User Freedom

01:03:38 The Value of the In-Between

01:07:19 Defining Open Source

01:13:09 Negotiating Fair Compensation

01:15:42 The Role of Foundations

01:20:16 Foundations as Community Stewards

01:27:51 Jumping Through Hoops: The Current Approach to Funding Open Source

01:38:46 Fair Source: A Potential Solution for Sustainable Funding

01:42:20 Joining the Funding Cabal: Supporting Open Source Projects

01:44:30 Creating a Sustainable Ecosystem for Fair Compensation

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David Cramer, Founder Sentry: How my Open Source Side Project became a Successful Business Aug 12, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Sentry: https://sentry.io/

- Sentry on X: https://x.com/getsentry

- David on X: https://x.com/zeeg

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

David Cramer, the founder of Sentry, discusses the origins and growth of the company. Sentry started as an open-source project that Cramer built to solve his own problems as a software engineer. The initial version of Sentry captured and deduplicated errors, providing developers with valuable context for debugging. Cramer's experience at Disqus and Dropbox allowed him to refine and commercialize Sentry, turning it into a successful business. The key to Sentry's success was its versatility and ease of integration, supporting any SQL adapter that Django supported. Cramer emphasizes the importance of simplicity and pragmatism in building a product and the value of user feedback in shaping its development.

We discuss the challenges of using open source technology and the early architecture of Sentry. He emphasizes the importance of simplicity and the power of SQL databases. He also talks about the need for a fast and accurate development environment and the value of being brand-driven rather than data-driven. Sentry is focused on capturing attention through creative marketing campaigns. They believe that marketing is about capturing someone's attention and making them curious. They use preposterous and visually compelling campaigns that have nothing to do with their product to capture attention. They emphasize the importance of building brand recognition and authenticity. They also discuss the challenges of marketing and positioning complex technical products. They believe that marketing and positioning are more important and more complex than the engineering side of things. They emphasize the need for founders to care deeply about what they are doing and to be willing to take risks.

Chapters

00:00:00 David Cramer

00:03:19 Introduction and Background

00:15:39 The Initial Problem and Early Development of Sentry

00:26:38 Transitioning Sentry from Open-Source Project to Company

00:33:22 Technical Decisions that Shaped Sentry's Versatility and Portability

00:36:11 The Importance of Simplicity and User Feedback in Sentry's Development

00:36:38 Challenges of Using Open Source Technology

00:38:32 The Power of SQL Databases in Architecture

00:41:47 The Importance of a Fast and Accurate Development Environment

00:49:09 Being Brand-Driven vs. Data-Driven

00:54:40 The Value of Customer Feedback Signal

01:09:49 Capturing Attention through Creative Marketing

01:11:26 Building Brand Recognition and Authenticity

01:12:53 The Challenges of Marketing Technical Products

01:13:56 The Importance of Caring and Taking Risks

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Santosh Yadav: How Open Source Changes Lives, Angular Deep Dive Aug 08, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Santosh on X: https://x.com/SantoshYadavDev

- Santosh' story: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/my-journey-into-tech-from-slums-of-mumbai-to-my-own-apartment/

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this episode, we deep dive into Angular and its related frameworks, along with the power of open source to change one's life—moving Santosh from the slums of Mumbai to Germany, where he now owns a home. If you're interested in Angular, web engineering, or open source, then this episode is for you.

Takeaways

1. Santosh Yadav started his career in software development with Windows development before transitioning to web development with Angular.

2. Web development presented challenges such as cross-browser compatibility and deployment, which were not as prevalent in Windows development.

3. Santosh emphasizes the importance of contributing to the open source community and shares his journey of contributing to the Angular community.

4. Modern Angular has simplified the building blocks and introduced standalone components, making it easier to learn and use.

5. Angular Universal and Angular SSR provide server-side rendering and file-based routing capabilities in Angular applications.

6. Modern Angular has shifted from constructor-based injection to function parameter-based injection, which offers advantages such as easier use of services outside the constructor.

7. Components in Angular should be minimal and focused on UI rendering, with logic and data dependencies handled by services.

8. Constructive collaboration and empathy are essential in open source projects, and discussions and contributions should be made on GitHub rather than on social media platforms.

9. Sharing personal stories and experiences in the open source community can inspire and motivate others. Education can be a powerful tool for overcoming challenging circumstances.

10. Perseverance and hard work are key to achieving success.

Chapters

00:00 Santosh Yadav

03:00 Introduction and Background

11:03 Open Source Contributions

32:30 Server-Side Rendering and File-Based Routing

40:53 Modern Angular and Dependency Injection

52:59 The Power of Nx as a Build Tool

01:03:42 Constructive Collaboration in Open Source

01:20:50 Living in the Slums and the Start of Santosh's Journey

01:31:11 Burnout and the Need for Work-Life Balance

01:44:51 Future Plans and Helping Others

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Jay V, CEO SST.dev: How to rapidly go from Idea to IPO with Infrastructure-as-Code Aug 05, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- SST: https://sst.dev

- Jay on X: https://x.com/jayair

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Jay V, co-founder of the serverless framework SST, discusses the origins and purpose of SST. SST is an open-source framework for building applications on AWS and other cloud providers. It aims to make it easy to get started with building an application and scale as the application and team grow. SST differentiates itself by allowing developers to write infrastructure as code in TypeScript, providing abstractions that simplify the complexity of serverless applications.

The conversation also touches on the importance of positioning and messaging in marketing, the value of educational content and courses, and the role of community in building a following. In this final part of the conversation, we discuss the importance of building a community and reaching critical mass in order to grow a product. We also talk about the future plans for SST, including adding support for more frameworks and runtimes.

Takeaways

1. SST is an open-source framework for building applications on AWS and other cloud providers

2. SST allows developers to write infrastructure as code in TypeScript, providing abstractions that simplify the complexity of serverless applications

3. Next.js is considered the Kubernetes front end because it provides a batteries-included framework with many out-of-the-box features for React SSR apps.

4. Positioning and messaging should be tied to the product and focused on addressing the needs and interests of the target audience.

5. Founders and CEOs face challenges such as resistance to new ideas and the need to adapt to change.

Chapters

00:00 Jay V

03:07 Introduction to Jay and SST

17:22 SST's Approach to Infrastructure as Code

21:30 Shift from CDK to Pulumi and Terraform

29:01 Jay's Role as a Technical Founder

31:20 Managed Services vs Kubernetes

38:39 Building AI Agents and Using GPT-4 with SST

40:11 Why Next.js is the Kubernetes Front End

42:41 Limitations of Serverless Architecture

46:36 The Importance of Positioning and Messaging

52:48 The Value of Educational Content and Courses

58:06 Building a Community and Following

01:04:29 Building a Community and Reaching Critical Mass

01:05:45 Future Plans: Adding Support for More Frameworks and Runtimes

01:06:40 Staying Updated in the Tech Industry

01:10:55 Challenges Faced by Founders and CEOs

01:12:12 Creating High-Performing Teams

01:25:11 The Importance of Familiarity and Trust in Communication

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Rizèl Scarlett: How to Own Your Digital Identity, DevRel and Skepticism, GitHub Copilot Aug 01, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- TBD: https://www.tbd.website/

- Rizèl on X: https://x.com/blackgirlbytes

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Rizèl Scarlett, a developer advocate at TBD, discusses her experiences with GitHub Copilot, open source, and Web5. She shares how she enjoys engaging with skeptics and helping them understand new technologies. Rizèl also explains TBD and its SDKs, TBdex and Web5, which aim to enable global money exchange and provide decentralized identity verification.

Takeaways

1. Rizel enjoys engaging with skeptics and helping them understand new technologies.

2. TBD is a company that focuses on enabling global money exchange and decentralized identity verification.

3. TBdex is an SDK that facilitates the exchange of money, while Web5 supports TBdex through identity verification.

4. Web5 utilizes decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials to create a seamless and secure web experience.

5. Decentralized identifiers and verifiable credentials offer convenience and selective disclosure of personal information.

6. Digital identifiers have the potential to replace single sign-on methods and provide a standardized authentication protocol across the web.

7. Interoperability among companies is a challenge for the adoption of Web5.

8. Web5 can be used to build various applications, such as chat applications. Web5 is built on open web standards and offers a secure way to handle decentralized identity and share files.

9. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are crucial in the tech industry, and efforts should be made to create positive and inclusive experiences for underrepresented groups.

Chapters

00:00:00 Rizèl Scarlett

00:03:50 Introduction and Background

00:12:52 Skepticism of Open Source

00:17:01 Introduction to TBD and TBdex

00:26:21 Web5: Creating a Seamless Web Experience

00:27:38 Decentralized Identifiers and Verifiable Credentials

00:33:54 Exploring the Potential of Digital Identifiers

00:36:11 Building Decentralized Digital Identities with the Web5 SDK

00:41:27 The Benefits and Challenges of Web5

00:49:26 The Future of Authentication: Web5 and Digital Identifiers

01:05:21 Exploring the Potential of Web5 and Decentralized Identity

01:09:08 Leveraging AI Technologies in the Web5 Ecosystem

01:13:21 The Importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Tech

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Glauber Costa, CEO Turso: How to Build Horizontally Scaled SQLite Jul 29, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Turso: https://turso.tech

- The Save File Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGUwjXxvasIczMiiZ5joRlTA-PFydJZbb

- Glauber on X: https://x.com/glcst

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Glauber Costa, CEO of Turso Database, shares his journey from coding for the Linux kernel to co-founding Turso. He started contributing to open source in university and developed a passion for low-level programming. He joined RedHat and later joined a database company, which eventually pivoted into ScyllaDB, a NoSQL database.

Glauber discusses the challenges and successes of building ScyllaDB and the importance of competition in driving innovation. After leaving ScyllaDB, he joined Datadog before deciding to start Turso. The opportunity to start a company arose, and Glauber and his co-founder, Pekka, took the leap.

Turso is a database that is based on SQLite and focuses on data replication. It offers a cost-effective and easy way to replicate data to multiple locations, with a single URL that routes requests to the closest replica. Turso is not limited to web use cases and can be used for various applications. It provides read-your-own-writes consistency, ensuring that when a value is written, it can be immediately read.

The term 'edge database' is not accurate for Turso, as it is more focused on data replication rather than edge compute. The confusion around the term 'edge' arises from the conflation of network edge and edge compute. In this conversation, we discuss the challenges and misconceptions surrounding the concept of the edge in web development.

Glauber also explains how messaging and positioning are crucial in the success of a startup, and how validation should be carefully considered. He also highlights the importance of moving fast and adapting to the needs of users. He emphasizes that replication is a core feature of Turso, allowing for high availability and performance, and the ability to replicate data closer to users for faster access.

Takeaways

1. Turso is a database based on SQLite that specializes in data replication.

2. The term 'edge database' is not accurate for Turso, as it focuses more on data replication than edge compute.

3. Messaging and positioning are crucial in the success of a startup.

4. It is important to carefully consider validation and not rely solely on positive feedback.

5. Moving fast and adapting to user needs is essential for success.

Chapters

00:00 Glauber Costa

03:21 Introduction and Background

12:39 Pivoting from Operating System to Database

27:15 Transition from ScyllaDB to Turso

31:32 Timing and Market Conditions in Starting a Company

56:31 Turso: A Database for Data Replication

01:02:52 The Horizontal Nature of Databases

01:06:03 Turso's Impressive Write Performance

01:09:37 Turso's Versatility Beyond Web Use Cases

01:16:19 The Need for Speed: Moving Fast and Adapting to User Needs

01:38:31 Conclusion

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John McBride: How to Build Your Own AI Infrastucture with Kubernetes Jul 25, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- OpenSauced blog post: https://opensauced.pizza/blog/how-we-saved-thousands-of-dollars-deploying-low-cost-open-source-ai-technologies

- John on X: https://x.com/johncodezzz

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

John McBride discusses his experience deploying open-source AI technologies at scale with Kubernetes. He shares insights on building AI-enabled applications and the challenges of managing large-scale data engineering.

The conversation focuses on the use of Kubernetes as a platform for running compute and the decision to use TimeScaleDB for storing time-series data and vectors. McBride also highlights the importance of data-intensive applications and recommends the book 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications' for further reading.

The conversation discusses the process of migrating from OpenAI to an open-source large language model (LLM) inference engine. The decision to switch to an open-source LLM was driven by the need for cost optimization and the desire to have more control over the infrastructure. VLLM was chosen as the inference engine due to its compatibility with the OpenAI API and its performance. The migration process involved deploying Kubernetes, setting up node groups with GPUs, running VLLM pods, and using a Kubernetes service for load balancing.

The conversation emphasizes the importance of choosing the right level of abstraction and understanding the trade-offs involved.

Takeaways

1. Building AI-enabled applications requires good mass-scale data engineering.

2. Kubernetes is an excellent platform for servicing large-scale applications.

3. TimeScaleDB, built on top of Postgres, is a suitable choice for storing time-series data and vectors.

4. The book 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications' is recommended for understanding data-intensive application development.

5. Choosing the right level of abstraction is important, and it depends on factors such as expertise, time constraints, and specific requirements.

6. The use of Kubernetes can be complex and expensive, and it may not be necessary for all startups.

7. The decision to adopt Kubernetes should consider the scale and needs of the company, as well as the operational burden it may bring.

Chapters

00:00 John McBride

03:05 Introduction and Background

07:24 Summary of the Blog Post

12:15 The Role of Kubernetes in AI-Enabled Applications

16:10 The Use of TimeScaleDB for Storing Time-Series Data and Vectors

35:37 Migrating to an Open-Source LLM Inference Engine

47:35 Deploying Kubernetes and Setting Up Node Groups

55:14 Choosing VLLM as the Inference Engine

1:02:21 The Migration Process: Deploying Kubernetes and Setting Up Node Groups

1:08:02 Choosing the Right Level of Abstraction

1:24:12 Challenges in Evaluating Language Model Performance

1:31:41 Considerations for Adopting Kubernetes in Startups

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Brian Douglas, CEO OpenSauced: How to Make Open Source Measurable, GitHub, Founder-Led Growth Jul 22, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- OpenSauced: https://opensauced.pizza

- OpenSauced Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCNjj19iDa4

- The Secret Sauce Podcast: https://podcast.opensauced.pizza/episodes

- Brian on X: https://x.com/bdougieyo

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this episode, Brian Douglas (BDougie), the founder of OpenSauced discusses the evolution of the Jamstack, BDougie's career switch from sales to coding, and the inspiration behind OpenSauced. OpenSauced is a tool that provides deeper insights into GitHub repositories, filling the gap left by GitHub's limited insights feature. BDougie explains how OpenSauced sources data from the GitHub event feed and circumvents rate limiting. He also shares the vision for OpenSauced, which includes building a standard for successful open source projects and providing valuable metrics for maintainers and companies.

OpenSauced focuses on the top-down approach to building their business, targeting large enterprise customers and establishing product-market fit with them. They prioritize building relationships with these customers and providing value to them, rather than focusing on charging individual developers for their product. They believe that the future of open source lies in telling stories with data and providing insights to enterprises. OpenSauced aims to be a long-term, sustainable business that scales to both enterprise and the broader community.

The conversation explores measuring the impact of open source projects, including the influx of stars and the growth of the active community. We discuss the importance of repo pages and new features like the lottery factor and contributor confidence. We also touch on the challenges of contributor engagement and the need for proper governance in open source projects. The conversation then shifts to the difficulties of positioning and messaging for technical founder-led companies and the importance of storytelling. The episode concludes with a discussion on the value of talking to users and customers regularly.

Takeaways

1. OpenSauced is a tool that provides deeper insights into GitHub repositories, filling the gap left by GitHub's limited insights feature.

2. OpenSauced sources data from the GitHub event feed and circumvents rate limiting to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information.

3. The vision for OpenSauced is to build a standard for successful open source projects and provide valuable metrics for maintainers and companies.

4. The tool includes features like contributor confidence, lottery factor, and YOLO coding to assess the health and sustainability of open source projects.

Chapters

00:00 Brian Douglas

03:05 Introduction and Background

09:44 The Evolution of the Jamstack

14:45 OpenSauced and GitHub's Relationship

32:17 Identifying the Problem with Hacktoberfest

35:28 Insights and Metrics for Open Source Projects

37:09 The Value of Open Sauce for Businesses

43:40 The Shift in DevRel and Go-to-Market Strategies

47:57 Top-Down vs Bottom-Up Approach in DevRel

54:20 Balancing Top-Down and Bottom-Up Strategies

01:02:59 The Importance of Establishing Product-Market Fit

01:05:42 The Challenges of Building an Open Source Business

01:06:57 Measuring the Impact of Open Source

01:07:28 The Role of Repo Pages

01:08:09 Understanding Contributor Engagement and Confidence

01:09:11 The Importance of Governance in Open Source

01:11:14 Positioning and Messaging for Technical Founder-Led Companies

01:36:11 The Value of Regular Communication with Users and Customers

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Erik Rasmussen: How to Build a Career on Open Source, Solid.js, Form Libraries Jul 18, 2024

Links

- CodeCrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Solid Final Form post: https://erikras.com/blog/solid-final-form-poc

- Erik on X: https://x.com/erikras

- Erik on GitHub: https://github.com/erikras

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this conversation, Erik Rasmussen discusses his experiences with open source and public speaking, as well as the development and differences between Redux Form and React Final Form. He also explores the value of form libraries and the challenges of coupling and modularity.

Additionally, he shares his thoughts on Solid.js and its approach to granular rendering, as well as the potential integration of Solid.js and Final Form for building forms. In this conversation, Erik Rasmussen discusses his experience building forms with Solid and Redux Form.

He shares the motivation behind creating Redux Form as a library and the decision to open source it. Erik also talks about the challenges and rewards of maintaining open source projects and the importance of saying no to feature requests.

He explores the use of XState on the server side and the benefits of using state machines and state charts. Finally, Erik reflects on the current state of Redux and Solid.js and offers lessons learned from his open source journey.

Takeaways

1. Open source work can lead to opportunities for public speaking at conferences.

2. Form libraries like Redux Form and React Final Form provide valuable solutions for managing form state and validation.

3. Modularity is important in library design to allow users to choose and include only the necessary functionality.

4. Solid.js offers a different approach to rendering and state management, which can result in more efficient updates.

5. Integrating Solid.js and Final Form could provide a powerful solution for building forms with granular rendering and reactivity.

6. Maintaining open source projects requires balancing feature requests and maintaining scope.

6. Using XState on the server side allows for modeling complex flows and maintaining state.

7. State machines and state charts provide a visual way to understand and manage application logic.

8. The Redux ecosystem is still relevant and evolving, while Solid.js offers a novel approach to building UIs.

Chapters

00:00 Erik Rasmussen

03:56 Introduction and Early Experiences

08:14 Getting into Public Speaking

13:00 Redux Form and React Final Form

30:01 Coupling and Modularity in Libraries

32:32 Solid.js and Granular Rendering

37:57 Solid.js and Final Form Integration

42:15 Challenges with Solid.js Forms

44:33 Building Forms with Solid and Redux Form

45:57 Creating Redux Form as a Library

49:22 Maintaining Open Source Projects

52:30 Considerations for Open Sourcing Projects

57:34 Using XState on the Server Side

01:00:34 Understanding State Machines and State Charts

01:11:22 The State of Redux and Solid.js

01:18:32 Lessons Learned from Maintaining Open Source Projects

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Monica Sarbu, CEO Xata: Building a Postgres Platform, an All-Female Board, and ~50% Gender Diversity Jul 15, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Xata: https://xata.io

- Tupu: https://tupu.io

- Monica on X: https://x.com/monicasarbu

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Monica Sarbu, the founder and CEO of Xata, shares the story of founding Xata. She discusses the challenges of being a woman founder in a male-dominated industry and the importance of open source in her career. Monica also talks about the transition from being a founder to a director at Elastic and the role of titles and hierarchy in organizations. She highlights the significance of happiness and motivation in building successful teams.

Monica talks about the journey of building Xata, a Postgres data platform, and how it was inspired by the need she discovered while building Tupu. Xata aims to provide the usability of Airtable on top of a traditional database, with the goal of empowering companies to build products with fewer resources. The platform offers features like full-text search, schema migrations with zero downtime, and a spreadsheet-like UI. Monica also discusses the challenges of running a company and the importance of diversity and culture.

Takeaways

1. Monica Sarbu shares her journey from building Packetbeat to founding Xata.

2. She discusses the challenges of being a woman founder in a male-dominated industry.

3. Monica highlights the importance of open source in her career.

4. She talks about the transition from being a founder to a director at Elastic and the role of titles and hierarchy in organizations.

5. Monica emphasizes the significance of happiness and motivation in building successful teams.

6. Xata was built to address the need Monica discovered while building Tupu, and aims to provide the usability of Airtable on top of a traditional database.

7. The platform offers features like full-text search, schema migrations with zero downtime, and a spreadsheet-like UI.

8. Monica emphasizes the importance of diversity and culture in the company, and the need to support and empower female engineers.

9. She believes that every company's journey is different, and it's important for founders to have a plan and prioritize what is important to them.

Chapters

00:00 Monica Sarbu

05:08 Introduction and Background

07:14 Building Packetbeat and the Power of Open Source

13:46 Differentiating Packetbeat from Other Monitoring Tools

19:25 Challenges and Benefits of Building in a Crowded Market

34:51 The Importance of Happiness and Motivation in Building Teams

48:27 The Relationship Between Tupu and Zeta

50:15 The State of Tupu and the Challenges of Non-Profit Organizations

56:04 The Journey of Zeta's Development

58:26 Zeta's Full-Text Search and Postgres Compatibility

01:01:23 Zero Downtime Migrations and Direct Postgres Interfacing

01:04:33 Zeta's Roadmap and Self-Hosting Capabilities

01:10:35 The Importance of Diversity and Culture at Zeta

01:18:26 Zeta's Chat GPT Feature and Future Plans

01:21:04 The Challenges and Priorities of Running a Company

01:31:29 The Importance of Diversity and Empowering Women

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Rachel Nabors: How to Navigate Big Tech, the Future of DevRel, Documentation Jul 11, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Rachel's book "The Tech Career Survival Guide": https://nearestnabors.substack.com/

- Rachel on X: https://x.com/rachelnabors

Summary

Rachel Nabors (they/them), a developer relations expert with an incredible track record discusses their career journey and the challenges of pricing and valuing their work in the developer relations industry. They emphasize the importance of knowing your worth and setting appropriate hourly rates based on your skills and the value you bring to the table. Rachel also highlights the need for building trusted relationships with your community and collaborating with companies to create products that align with your audience's needs.

Takeaways

1. Know your worth and set appropriate hourly rates based on your skills and the value you bring to the table.

2. Build trusted relationships with your community and collaborate with companies to create products that align with your audience's needs.

3. Acknowledge the transactional nature of the influencer industry but maintain your values and advocate for fair compensation.

4. Balance the tension between working for a company and maintaining your integrity by establishing collaboration agreements that emphasize mutual benefit.

5. DevRel should be involved in shaping the product and providing valuable feedback.

6. The line between DevRel and marketing should be clarified to avoid undervaluing the engineering contributions of DevRel.

7. The role of DevRel varies depending on the stage of the company, with more need for DevRel in early-stage or large companies.

8. Documentation plays a crucial role in learning React, and progressive disclosure is an effective pattern for presenting information. User experience is crucial in documentation, and features like AI-generated pop-ups and special links can greatly enhance the user's understanding and navigation.

9. People often discover documentation through search engines like Google, so it's important to optimize content for search and provide solutions to common errors and problems.

10. In workplace dynamics, it's important to communicate with managers about issues like dominating conversations and lack of participation, either directly or through anonymous feedback channels.

Chapters

00:00:00 Rachel Nabors

00:02:49 Introduction and Career Background

00:04:49 Running a Developer Relations Consultancy and Influencer Agency

00:07:07 Pricing and Determining Your Worth

00:11:11 Negotiating and Advocating for Fair Compensation

00:15:59 Value-Based Pricing and Collaborations

00:25:12 Maintaining Integrity in the Influencer Industry

00:30:11 Balancing Work and Trust with Companies

00:33:20 Collaboration Challenges between DevRel and Product/Engineering Teams

00:39:20 The Evolution of DevRel: From Evangelists to Influencers

00:47:30 The Importance of DevRel in Shaping the Product

00:59:42 The Role of Documentation in Learning React

01:06:17 Enhancing User Experience in Documentation

01:09:19 Optimizing Documentation for Search and Problem Solving

01:11:57 Conveying Core Knowledge and Creating Accessible Content

01:15:28 Collaboration between Documentation Teams and Developer Advocates

01:22:16 Navigating Workplace Dynamics and Communication

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Brandon Bayer, CEO Flightcontrol: How to unlock peak velocity on AWS Jul 08, 2024

Links

- Sponsors and Partners

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- THAT Conference: https://www.thatconference.com/

- Stately: https://stately.ai

- Guest Content

- Flightcontrol: https://www.flightcontrol.dev

- Blitz.js: https://blitzjs.com/

- Brandon on X: https://x.com/flybayer

- Book Recommendations and Resources

- Full type-safety for Next.js routes: https://www.flightcontrol.dev/blog/fix-nextjs-routing-to-have-full-type-safety

- Obviously Awesome: https://www.aprildunford.com/books

- Psych framework: https://andrewchen.com/psychd-funnel-conversion/

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Brandon Bayer, the creator of Blitz.js and co-founder of Flightcontrol discusses his journey in open source and the challenges of building full-stack frameworks in the JavaScript ecosystem. He explains the motivation behind creating Flightcontrol, a platform-as-a-service for deploying production applications to your own AWS account.

Brandon also shares insights into the pricing model of Flightcontrol and the trade-offs between using a platform-as-a-service and self-hosting with a VPS. He discusses the technical challenges of migrating from PlanetScale to AWS Aurora and highlights the benefits of using Flightcontrol for long-running function invocations.

Flightcontrol was backed by Y Combinator (YC)—an experience that was instrumental in helping Flightcontrol raise funding and providing valuable mentorship and networking opportunities.

Takeaways

1. Building full-stack frameworks in the JavaScript ecosystem is challenging due to the complexity and fast-changing nature of the ecosystem.

2. Flightcontrol is a platform-as-a-service that allows developers to deploy production applications to their own AWS account, providing reliability, flexibility, and performance.

3. Self-hosting with a VPS offers more control and lower costs, but it requires more management and may not be suitable for large-scale startups.

4. Flightcontrol enables arbitrarily long-running function invocations, making it suitable for tasks like web scraping and data processing.

5. Flightcontrol is focused on removing barriers to adoption and improving their marketing and positioning

6. The Y Combinator experience helped Flightcontrol raise funding and provided valuable mentorship and networking opportunities

Chapters

00:00 Brandon Bayer

03:41 Introduction and Background

17:05 The Pricing Model of Flightcontrol and the Trade-Offs of Platform-as-a-Service vs. Self-Hosting

53:23 Removing Barriers to Adoption

1:00:23 Marketing and Positioning as a Reliable Platform as a Service

1:13:07 Accepting the Truth and Embracing It

1:22:55 The Impact of Y Combinator

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Anjana Vakil: How to Get into Tech and be Successful Jul 04, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Outreachy: https://outreachy.org

- Recurse Center: https://recurse.com

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Anjana discusses her journey into tech, including her background in computational linguistics and her experience in various roles within the tech industry. She highlights the importance of following one's passion and finding meaning in work. The conversation also touches on the need for the tech industry to prioritize human well-being and collaboration over profit and productivity. In this conversation, I and Anjana Vakil discuss the importance of shifting our mindset from a focus on productivity and economic success to one that prioritizes human flourishing and collective well-being. We explore the toxic nature of the competitive scarcity mindset prevalent in the tech industry and advocate for a more collaborative and community-oriented approach. We emphasize the need to recognize the value of every individual and the interconnectedness of all living beings. We also discuss the role of technology in addressing global challenges and the responsibility of tech professionals to use their skills for the betterment of society.

Takeaways

1. Tech careers can be pursued by individuals from diverse backgrounds and with non-linear trajectories.

2. Programs like the Recurse Center and Outreachy provide opportunities for career changers and underrepresented groups to gain experience and contribute to the tech industry.

3. The tech industry should prioritize human well-being and collaboration over profit and productivity.

4. Success should be measured by the impact on individuals, communities, and the environment, rather than financial gain.

5. Tech professionals have the power to shape the direction of the industry and should use their privilege to advocate for positive change.

6. Shifting our mindset from productivity and economic success to human flourishing and collective well-being is crucial.

7. The toxic productivity and competitive scarcity mindset prevalent in the tech industry need to be challenged.

8. Recognizing the value of every individual and the interconnectedness of all living beings is essential.

9. Tech professionals have a responsibility to use their skills and technology for the betterment of society and to address global challenges.

Chapters

00:00 Anjana Vakil

03:39 Anjana's Non-Linear Tech Career

15:21 The Intersection of Tech and Computational Linguistics

27:00 Redefining Success in Tech

32:10 Using Privilege to Advocate for Change

48:55 Shifting Mindsets: From Productivity to Human Flourishing

53:09 Tech's Role in Addressing Global Challenges

55:33 Practical Protocols for Coping with the Current Context

59:23 Community: Central to Software Development

01:05:03 Scarcity Mindset vs. Abundance Mindset

01:17:13 Cooperative Mindset: Surviving Scarcity Together

01:24:34 Tech's Responsibility: Solving the World's Problems Together

01:29:25 Recognizing the Value of Every Individual and the Interconnectedness of All

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Clark Sell, Founder THAT Conference: How to Organize a Large Multidisciplinary Tech Conference Jul 01, 2024

Summary

Clark Sell discusses the origins and purpose of THAT Conference, a multi-day conference for software engineers and their families. He emphasizes the importance of human connection and the need for conferences to provide a space for engineers to learn, grow, and connect with others in the industry. Clark also addresses the challenges of balancing technical and soft skills in conference programming and the value of attending conferences for personal and professional development.

This conversation explores the challenges and complexities of organizing a large conference, focusing on the specific example of That Conference. The chapters cover topics such as the difficulties of booking venues and the long-term contracts and financial commitments involved.

Takeaways

Finding your why and being clear about your motivations is essential when starting a conference.
Conferences should prioritize the human side of tech, offering a balance of technical and soft skills talks to help engineers become better individuals and professionals.
Attending conferences can have a significant impact on mental health and well-being, especially for remote workers who may feel isolated in their careers.
Companies should recognize the value of conferences and allocate budget for employees to attend, as it contributes to their personal and professional development.
Organizing a large conference involves challenges such as booking venues and dealing with long-term contracts and financial commitments.
Sponsors play a crucial role in supporting conferences and their involvement can be both sought after and initiated by the organizers.
Building a tribe of organizers and engaging with other conference organizers can provide valuable support and insights.

Chapters

00:00 Clark Sell

06:49 Starting That Conference

15:40 The Purpose of That Conference

28:53 The Importance of Human Connection

33:18 The Value of Attending Conferences

37:21 Agent Conf and the Importance of Tech

39:13 Organic Panel Discussion and Open Spaces

40:04 Exploring New Conference Formats

41:02 The Importance of Open Spaces

41:59 Blowing Up the Conference Format

44:03 The Challenge of Selling White Spaces

45:33 The Role of Hackathons

46:27 Building a Custom Conference Platform

48:07 Motivation Behind Building a Custom Platform

50:07 Using Google Sheets as the Front End

51:52 The Stack and Open Source Nature of the Platform

55:19 Refactoring and Rebuilding the Platform

59:05 The Challenges of Organizing a Conference

01:01:31 Encouraging Speakers to Put Effort into Submissions

01:05:40 The Financial Challenges of Organizing a Conference

01:09:52 Considering Dropping Food from the Conference

01:11:06 Exploring a Kickstarter-like Model for Ticket Sales

01:12:11 Challenges of Booking Venues

01:12:54 Long-Term Contracts and Financial Commitments

01:14:35 The Ugly Side of Contracts

01:17:03 The Entrapment of Venue Commitments

01:18:00 Financial Struggles and Commitments

01:18:56 The Role of Sponsors

01:20:27 Sales and Sponsorship Relationships

01:24:08 Starting a Conference: Find Your Why

01:25:39 Building a Tribe of Organizers

01:26:33 Engaging with Other Organizers

01:28:19 The Importance of Balance and Sustainability

01:32:44 Contributing and Getting Involved with the Conference

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Steven Fabre, CEO Liveblocks: How We're Building Realtime Collaboration, Design Engineering Jun 24, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (Sponsor): https://codecrafters.io

- Liveblocks: https://liveblocks.io

- Steven on X: https://x.com/stevenfabre

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Steven Fabre, the co-founder of Liveblocks, shares his journey from a design-focused background to starting his own company. He discusses the importance of combining design and engineering skills and the challenges of building a collaborative dev tool. Steven also talks about the decision to raise venture capital and the trade-offs between being an indie developer and seeking VC funding. He shares insights on starting a company during the pandemic and dealing with stress and anxiety as a founder. Finally, he touches on the benefits and challenges of remote work.

Liveblocks is a platform that enables developers to add real-time collaboration features to their applications. It offers low-level APIs and pre-built React components for easy integration. The key to effective remote work, according to Liveblocks, is being truly remote-first and having time zone overlap. They also emphasize the importance of being intentional about culture and recognition in a remote team. Liveblocks recently announced a new product called Text Editor, which provides integration to make any text editor collaborative. They are also launching comments and notifications out of beta.

Takeaways

1. Combining design and engineering skills can lead to building polished and visually appealing products.

2. Starting a company around a problem you personally face can provide unique insights and timing advantages.

3. Dealing with stress and anxiety as a founder requires finding a balance, prioritizing sleep, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

4. Being truly remote-first and having time zone overlap are key to effective remote work.

5. Being intentional about culture and recognition is important in a remote team.

Chapters

* [00:00:00] Steven Fabre

* [00:03:34] Introduction and Background

* [00:05:55] The Journey from Design to Starting Liveblocks

* [00:10:15] The Role of Design Engineers in Building Polished Products

* [00:17:45] The Trade-Offs of Indie Development vs. Venture Capital

* [00:30:13] Dealing with Stress and Anxiety as a Founder

* [00:33:54] Unlocking the Benefits of Remote Work

* [00:37:36] Creating a Remote-First Culture

* [00:43:34] Introducing Liveblocks: Enabling Real-Time Collaboration

* [00:54:23] Unveiling the Future of Collaboration with Liveblocks

* [01:04:45] Building a Useful and Non-Overwhelming Notification System

* [01:07:55] The Importance of Positioning and Marketing

* [01:12:51] Showing Momentum and Providing Value

* [01:22:52] The Challenges of Being a CEO

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David Khourshid, CEO Stately.ai: How State Machines Create Robust Software Jun 17, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Stately: https://stately.ai

- XState on GitHub: https://github.com/statelyai/xstate

- David on X: https://x.com/davidkpiano

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this conversation, David Khourshid (CEO, Stately.ai) discusses XState, a state management library that uses state machines and the actor model to solve complex state management problems. He explains that state management is not a problem in itself, but it becomes complex when frameworks and libraries expect state updates in different ways.

XState provides a simpler model for managing complex state by using state machines and transitions triggered by events. David also introduces the concept of state charts, which take state machines to the next level by allowing for hierarchy and orthogonality. XState provides tools for visualizing state machines and helps identify modeling issues early in the software development lifecycle.

We continue to discuss the use of agents in observing environments and the potential for building practical applications using state machines. David shares his journey of founding Stately and productizing XState, highlighting the challenges and lessons he has learned as a first-time CEO. They also touch on the importance of making mistakes, transitioning to a paid model, and the future plans for Stately.

Takeaways

- State management becomes complex when frameworks and libraries expect state updates in different ways.

- XState provides a simpler model for managing complex state by using state machines and transitions triggered by events.

- State charts, a more advanced form of state machines, allow for hierarchy and orthogonality.

- State machines are useful in AI programming and can be used to build agents that observe environments and take actions based on goals.

- As a first-time CEO, it is important to make mistakes, learn from them, and be open to continuous learning and improvement.

- Transitioning to a paid model can help focus on users who have real use cases and are willing to pay for advanced features.

Chapters

[00:00:00] David Khourshid

[00:03:17] Introduction and Background

[00:05:28] The Problem of State Management

[00:09:16] XState: A Solution for Complex State Management

[00:13:27] XState and Conflict-Free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs)

[00:15:55] State Machines and State Charts

[00:29:45] Orthogonality and Modeling Complex States

[00:33:11] The Value of State Machines in Software Development

[00:35:32] The Use Cases for State Machines

[00:39:40] Balancing Time Investment and Fast-Paced Development

[00:45:20] The Connection Between State Machines and AI

[00:50:47] The Potential of AI in Stately.ai

[01:01:35] Understanding the Actor Model

[01:09:19] Building a To-Do App with XState

[01:10:17] Introduction to X-State and Actor Interface

[01:11:32] Snapshot and State in X-State

[01:12:54] Agents and Observing Environments

[01:14:16] State Machines in AI Programming

[01:15:17] Building State Machines for Practical Applications

[01:16:52] State Machines and AI Limitations

[01:18:34] Founding Stately and Productizing X-State

[01:21:20] Challenges and Lessons as a First-Time CEO

[01:24:46] Importance of Making Mistakes and Learning

[01:27:03] Transitioning to a Paid Model

[01:30:32] Future Plans for Stately

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Mark Erikson: How Replay.io is Built, Maintaining Redux Jun 13, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/Codecrafters

- Replay Protocol Examples: https://github.com/replayio/Protocol-Examples

- Mark on X: https://x.com/acemarke

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Mark Erikson, the maintainer of Redux and developer at Replay.io, discusses the process of modernizing the Firefox DevTools UI (a React app!) and the challenges of code migration. He shares insights on migrating to TypeScript and the value of staying up to date with the latest techniques. Mark also explains how Replay captures and transmits data for debugging purposes. Replay is a tool that captures and replays browser interactions for debugging purposes. It requires a browser because extensions do not have the same privileged access as a browser.

During the recording phase, Replay captures network data. The captured data is stored in a binary archive. When a user opens the debugger, the recording is downloaded and cached in the backend. The debugger includes a video playback feature, which is actually a series of JPEG images rendered on a canvas. The element picker in the debugger is a bespoke canvas that interacts with the paused browser process.

In this conversation, Mark Erikson discusses the capabilities of Replay, a debugging tool for web applications. He explains how Replay allows developers to console log in replays, run code in the browser, and work with source maps and minified code. Mark also discusses the use of Replay in Node.js and the ability to manipulate events in replays. He highlights the backend API of Replay and the potential for future features such as root cause analysis and React time travel.

Takeaways

1. Modernizing legacy codebases requires careful planning and a step-by-step approach.

2. Migrating to TypeScript can improve code maintainability and reduce bugs.

3. Replay.io captures and transmits browser events and interactions for debugging purposes.

4. Extensions do not have the same privileged access as a browser, which is why Replay requires a browser.

5. Replay can be used in Node.js environments, and developers can manipulate events in replays to simulate different outcomes.

6. Future features of Replay include root cause analysis and React time travel, which will further enhance the debugging experience for developers.

Chapters

00:00:00 Mark Erikson

00:02:40 Introduction and Background

00:03:59 Replay.io and Time Travel Debugger

00:08:48 Modernizing the Codebase

00:11:44 The Challenges of Code Migration

00:13:39 Finding Joy in Legacy Code

00:16:11 Migrating to TypeScript

00:19:16 The Process of Modernization

00:30:19 The Pressure and Value of Modernization

00:35:47 The Trade-offs of Using the Latest Techniques

00:37:12 Capturing and Transmitting Data in Replay

00:38:11 Replay: Capturing and Replaying Browser Interactions

00:45:56 Why Replay Requires a Browser

00:46:51 Capturing Network Data and Security Concerns

00:48:54 Recording and Storing the Binary Archive

00:56:21 Downloading and Caching the Recording

00:58:46 Pre-Processing and Caching Basic Data

01:03:30 The Video Playback and Memory Snapshots

01:10:39 Inspecting Elements and the Bespoke Canvas

01:14:26 Building the Replay Debugger

01:16:49 Replay's Capabilities

01:18:12 Console Logging in Replays

01:19:50 Running Code in the Browser

01:20:51 Source Maps and Minified Code

01:22:44 Shipping Source Maps

01:25:41 Replay in Node.js

01:26:12 Using Replay in the Terminal

01:33:50 Manipulating Events in Replay

01:38:02 Replay's Backend API

01:51:33 Future Features: Root Cause Analysis and React Time Travel

01:54:41 Closing Remarks

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Zack Chapple, CEO Zephyr Cloud: How Module Federation Works, Micro-Frontend Architecture Jun 10, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Zephyr Cloud: https://zephyr-cloud.io/

- Module Federation: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@module-federation/node

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this conversation, Zack Chapple, CEO of Zephyr Cloud, discusses the concepts of module federation, micro frontends, and the role of Zephyr Cloud in simplifying developer workflows. He explains the evolution of module federation, its relationship with Webpack and RSPack, and the impact of these technologies on build times and developer productivity. The conversation delves into the evolution of micro front-end architecture, starting with the use of iframes and progressing to module federation. It explores the challenges of iframes, the benefits of lazy loading, and the finer control offered by module federation. The discussion also covers the founding of Zephyr Cloud and its innovative approach to deploying micro front-ends to the edge. Zack Chapple discusses the innovative features of Zephyr Cloud, including its seamless integration with module federation, real-time deployment to the edge, and observability capabilities. He also shares insights on the challenges and decision-making process for technical founders and CEOs.

Takeaways

1. Module federation and micro frontends are key concepts in modern web development, allowing for the decomposition and distribution of front-end applications.

2. Zephyr Cloud simplifies the complexity of module federation and micro frontends, providing a platform that accelerates developer workflows and enhances production reliability for micro frontends.

3. Finer control and deployment to the edge with module federation and Zephyr Cloud Zephyr Cloud enables real-time deployment to the edge, making it easy for developers to integrate with module federation and streamline the development process.

4. The platform offers robust observability features, allowing users to monitor and analyze the impact of remotes on performance and user experience.

5. Zack Chapple emphasizes the importance of aligning company values with personal values as a founder, highlighting the need for individualized approaches to leadership and decision-making.

Chapters

00:00 Zack Chapple

03:49 Introduction and Overview of Topics

05:49 The Birth of Zephyr Cloud and its Mission

11:06 Understanding Module Federation and Micro Frontends

30:05 RSPack, ESBuild, and the Future of Module Federation

36:12 Evolution of Micro Front-End Architecture

40:25 Challenges and Benefits of Lazy Loading

56:50 Innovative Edge Deployment with Zephyr Cloud

01:06:05 Revolutionizing Deployment with Zephyr Cloud

01:11:55 Seamless Deployment and Rollbacks

01:31:09 Navigating the CEO Journey

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Svenja Schäfer: Mastering Regular Expressions and Automated Testing Jun 06, 2024

Links

- CodeCrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Understanding RegEx Once and for All Post Series: https://www.codegram.com/blog/understanding-regex-once-and-for-all-part-one

- RegEx 101: https://regex101.com/

- (Golang to .d.ts) go2dts: https://github.com/fabien0102/go2dts

- Svenja on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/svenjaschaefer/

- Svenja on GitHub: https://github.com/slickepinne

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this conversation, Svenja Schäfer, a development team lead at Thoughtbot, discusses her background, experience, and the importance of testing in software development. She shares her journey into tech, the value of testing, and the benefits of test-driven development. Svenja also talks about her work at Thoughtbot, a consulting agency that focuses on Ruby on Rails and JavaScript development. The conversation touches on the challenges of learning new technologies and the fast-paced nature of the industry. The importance of collaboration, taking breaks, and finding a balance between pairing and individual work is also highlighted.

In this part of the conversation, Svenja and I discuss the importance of communication and belonging in remote teams. We also dive into the topic of regular expressions and how they can be used to accelerate robustness in testing. We also do a live coding exercise to demonstrate how regular expressions work. Svenja then shares her experience as a team lead and emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balance between coding and people management. She introduces a three-question communication framework to help manage time and prioritize tasks. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the significance of feedback and the importance of open and honest communication.

Takeaways

- Testing is essential in software development as it provides confidence, reduces errors, and helps developers understand the codebase.

- Test-driven development (TDD) is a valuable approach that involves writing tests before implementing features, leading to more robust and maintainable code.

- Collaboration and pairing can enhance productivity and code quality, but it's important to find a balance and allow for individual work and breaks.

- Taking breaks and allowing time for the brain to reset can lead to fresh ideas and solutions.

- Effective communication and a sense of belonging are crucial in remote teams.

- Regular expressions can be a powerful tool for testing and accelerating robustness in software development.

- Regular expressions can be used for email validation, form input validation, and searching in code editors.

- Understanding the building blocks of regular expressions, such as the caret (^), dot (.), asterisk (*), and word boundaries, is essential for writing effective patterns.

- Tools like regex101.com can be helpful for testing and experimenting with regular expressions. Regular expressions can be a powerful tool for searching and manipulating text.

- It is important to be aware of the potential challenges and gotchas when using regular expressions.

- As a team lead, it is important to maintain a balance between coding and people management.

- Effective communication involves asking the right questions and providing feedback in a constructive manner.

- Prioritizing tasks and managing time can be achieved through frameworks like the three-question communication framework.

Chapters

00:00 Svenja Schäfer

03:39 Introduction and Background

11:59 Challenges and Learning in the Fast-Paced Tech Industry

19:42 Staying Up-to-Date with Evolving Technologies

50:42 Understanding the Building Blocks of Regular Expressions

58:48 Live Coding Exercise: Matching Words with Regular Expressions

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Chris Coyier, CEO CodePen: How We're Building CodePen 2.0, CSS-Tricks Jun 03, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Codepen: https://codepen.io

- TailwindCSS Play CDN: https://tailwindcss.com/docs/installation/play-cdn

- Chris on X: https://x.com/chriscoyier

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this episode, Chris Coyier (CEO of CodePen) discusses his background and the projects he is involved in, including CSS-Tricks and CodePen. He talks about the workload and challenges of running these projects, particularly the complexities of managing advertising and the business models. Chris also shares insights into the tech stack used at CodePen, including Next.js and GraphQL. He highlights the benefits of GraphQL and the code generation tool, which helps ensure data consistency and type safety. Finally, he discusses the future plans for CodePen, including the adoption of server components. In this part of the conversation, Chris Coyier and Tejas Kumar discuss the Apollo code gen and type checking, the features of CodePen 2.0, the balance between simplicity and complexity, NPM install in CodePen, NPM support in CodePen 2.0, and the differences between ESM and CommonJS. In this conversation, Chris Coyier, the co-founder of CodePen, discusses various topics related to CodePen's architecture, development stack, and future plans. He talks about the use of CommonJS and GraphQL, the transpilation process in CodePen, the serverless architecture and Lambda functions, onboarding and familiarity with CodePen's codebase, staying up-to-date with industry trends, CodePen's design system, using Tailwind CSS in CodePen, the data layer in CodePen, and the potential acquisition of CodePen.

Takeaways

1. Running projects like CodePen/CSS-Tricks involves a significant workload, including managing advertising and the business models.

2. The tech stack at CodePen includes Next.js and GraphQL, which provide powerful tools for building and managing web applications.

3. Code generation with tools like Apollo helps ensure data consistency and type safety in GraphQL queries.

4. Onboarding and becoming familiar with CodePen's codebase is relatively straightforward.

5. Tailwind CSS can be used in CodePen by linking to a CDN-hosted URL.

Chapters

00:00:00 Chris Coyier

00:03:27 Introduction and Background

00:06:49 Running CSS-Tricks and CodePen

00:12:45 Workload and Challenges

00:25:37 Moving to Next.js

00:29:49 Server Components and Future Plans

00:32:27 Code Generation with Apollo

00:34:10 Apollo Code Gen and Type Checking

00:38:45 CodePen 2.0 Features

00:46:43 Simplicity vs Complexity

00:48:08 NPM Install and CodePen

00:54:50 NPM Support in CodePen 2.0

00:59:12 ESM vs CommonJS

01:01:54 Common JS and GraphQL

01:02:31 CodePen's Architecture and Transpilation

01:04:58 Serverless Architecture and Lambda Functions

01:08:14 Onboarding and Familiarity with CodePen's Codebase

01:08:42 Staying Up-to-Date with Industry Trends

01:12:46 CodePen's Design System

01:20:48 Using Tailwind CSS in CodePen

01:25:01 CodePen's Data Layer

01:29:03 AI Features and CodePen 2.0

01:31:26 Potential Acquisition of CodePen

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Dan Shappir: How to Maximize Web Performance May 30, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Improving Wix Performance: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2021/11/improving-performance-wix-websites-case-study/

- Dan on X: https://x.com/danshappir

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

In this episode, Dan Shappir discusses his journey in web performance, starting from gaming networks before the web. He explains the web vs. internet distinction, offline-first web apps, and remote access solutions. Dan's role at Next Insurance as a performance tech lead is highlighted. The talk covers improving browser performance, server-side rendering at Wix, modern CSS, CDNs, backend issues, and encapsulation impacts. Dan and Tejas discuss the BF cache's workings, browser compatibility, and telemetry impacts. Tips for staying updated in tech are shared, emphasizing passion and teaching. The episode concludes with support for Gaza and the Speculation Rules API.

Takeaways

1. Avoid overloading the browser with excessive JavaScript, CSS, and HTML.

2. Keep things small and lean to improve performance.

3. Implement server-side rendering, use modern CSS, and leverage caching with CDNs to enhance performance.

4. To stay relevant in the tech industry, follow your passion, accept that you can't know everything, and focus on understanding core concepts rather than chasing every new technology.

5. The BF cache (back-forward cache) allows browsers to store a memory snapshot of a web page when the user navigates away, enabling instant retrieval when the user returns.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Honoring the Situation

01:17 Dan's Background and Early Career

07:46 Dan's Journey into Web Performance

15:09 Offline-First Web Application

25:34 Joining Wix and Improving Performance

34:09 Transition to Next Insurance

45:46 The Beauty of Constraints

59:13 Using CSS for Layout

01:04:12 Backend Performance Issues

01:20:30 BF Cache

01:25:32 Performance Strategies

01:31:25 Advice for Staying Relevant in Tech

01:42:42 Speculation Rules API

01:43:14 Resource Hints: Prefetch and Preload

01:48:12 Script Tags and JSON Representation

01:51:39 Closing Remarks and Homework

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Sanket Sahu, CEO GeekyAnts: How to Build and Scale a Company to 400+ with Open Source May 27, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- GeekyAnts: https://geekyants.com

- Sanket on X: https://x.com/sanketsahu

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Sanket Sahu, founder and CEO of GeekyAnts, built a successful IT consulting company focused on web and mobile app development. Starting as a freelancer, he scaled the company to over 400 people, emphasizing problem-solving and strong culture. GeekyAnts began contributing to open source with NativeBase, transforming from a web shop to a mobile and web shop. This boosted their reputation, leading to global requests and organizing the largest React Native meetup group.

They developed GlueStack, a full-stack framework, and GlueStack UI, a component library prioritizing accessibility and performance. GeekyAnts explores AI for code generation and AI-driven workflows, building an engineering studio with a user-first and AI approach. They emphasize evolving every six months, customer focus, and quarterly OKRs. The future involves productized services, dev tools, and internal products.

In this episode, you will learn how Sanket Sahu built GeekyAnts from freelancing to a 400+ team, contributed to open source with NativeBase, and leveraged AI for growth. Discover their emphasis on problem-solving, culture, evolving every six months, and future plans involving productized services and dev tools.

Takeaways

1. Problem-Solving Attitude: Building a successful IT consulting company requires a problem-solving mindset at every level.

2. Open Source Contributions: Contributing to open source can build your brand and establish credibility, as seen with GeekyAnts' release of NativeBase.

3. Balancing Processes and Speed: Processes are essential for scaling but should not impede speed and innovation.

4. AI Integration: Exploring AI for code generation and AI-driven workflows can positively impact business by increasing efficiency and problem-solving capabilities.

5. Continual Evolution: Regularly evolving and rebuilding your company, as GeekyAnts does every six months, is crucial for sustained growth and adaptation.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

05:46 Starting Geeky Ants and Scaling to 400+ People

10:15 Transition from Developer to Founder

13:44 The Importance of Problem-Solving and Culture

19:05 Adapting to Changing Environments and Roles

26:04 The Role of Open Source Contributions

32:01 GeekyAnts' Journey into Open Source and React Native

38:15 The Impact of Open Source on GeekyAnts' Reputation

41:16 GeekyAnts: From Web Shop to Mobile Plus Web Shop

48:03 Solving Fragmentation and Unifying React Native

52:27 Introducing GlueStack: A Framework for Full-Stack Applications

56:15 GlueStack UI: Prioritizing Accessibility and Performance

01:03:59 Focusing on Visual Accessibility and AI

01:05:45 Exploring AI in Code Generation and Workflows

01:08:08 The Impact of AI on Business

01:10:05 Building an Engineering Studio with a User-First and AI Approach

01:20:10 The Importance of Evolving and Rebuilding

01:26:57 Using Quarterly OKRs for Planning and Objectives

01:29:57 The Future of GeekyAnts: Productized Services, Dev Tools, and Internal Products

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Shruti Kapoor: How Slack is Built and Tested, How Patents are Filed May 23, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Shruti on X: https://x.com/shrutikapoor08

- Slack Kit design system: https://slack.engineering/the-gradual-design-system-how-we-built-slack-kit/

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Summary

Shruti Kapoor, a member of technical staff at Slack, discusses her role, the impact of Slack on users, and recent redesign efforts. She covers the patenting process, technical implementation of features like clips and huddles using Amazon S3 and Chime SDK, and front-end development practices at Slack.

Shruti also shares insights into Slack's interview process and compares it to Tejas' experience at Spotify, discussing the use of 'for' loops in interviews and her approach to code review. She concludes with thoughts on choosing between startups and big tech companies and the importance of diversity and inclusion in the industry.

Takeaways

1. Slack ships code frequently, even on Fridays, and rolls back quickly if issues arise.

2. The redesign aims to reduce cognitive overload and enhance user experience.

3. User feedback is crucial and actively gathered from social media, Zendesk tickets, and user research.

4. Slack's interview process includes breaks and at-home assignments, focusing on both technical skills and empathy.

5. Diversity and inclusion are vital, with efforts to ensure equal representation in technical discussions and panels.

Chapters

00:00 Shruti Kapoor

09:39 Working at Slack and Impact on Users

18:35 Redesigning Slack and User Feedback

33:00 Patenting and Inventing

42:39 Clips and Huddles

51:40 Design System and Front-end

56:02 Testing and Iteration

57:59 Career Journey and Joining Slack

01:00:38 Slack's Interview Process

01:01:38 At-Home Assignment

01:02:35 Comparison with Spotify's Interview Process

01:03:34 Technical Interview Experience at Spotify

01:05:02 Preference for Functional Programming

01:05:43 Using 'for' Loop Instead of 'reduce'

01:06:39 Approach to Code Review

01:08:35 Code Review as a Learning Experience

01:09:58 Testing Code during Code Review

01:11:10 Choosing Between Startups and Big Tech

01:11:39 Advantages and Trade-offs of Big Tech

01:16:57 Advantages and Trade-offs of Startups

01:18:47 Changing Teams in a Big Company

01:22:51 Navigating Conversations about Changing Teams

01:25:40 Role of Diversity and Inclusion in the Job

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Bobak Tavangar, CEO Brilliant Labs: How to build open-source AI-enabled smart glasses with AR May 20, 2024

Links

- CodeCrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Frame: https://brilliant.xyz/products/frame

- Bobak on X: https://x.com/btavangar

Summary

In this episode, Bobak Tavangar, founder of Brilliant Labs, discusses the creation of the AR device Frame and the open-source assistant Noah. He shares his journey from working at Microsoft and Apple to founding his own AR company, emphasizing innovation, simplicity, and user transformation in AR. He highlights the limitations of relying on large companies and big budgets, and the unique focus of Frame on AI, user experience, security, and privacy. Frame aims to create open, hackable smart glasses, offering distinctive, lightweight designs and future style variations. The glasses integrate with smartphones, and the assistant Noah extends developer capabilities. Tavangar reflects on the lessons from Google Glass, the challenges of hardware creation, and the importance of design and purpose.

Takeaways

- Innovation in AR comes from taking unique paths.

- Noah, an open-source assistant, enables a broader developer ecosystem.

- Frame smart glasses focus on user experience, security, and privacy.

- Combining openness with quality and curation is key.

- Learn from Google Glass's successes and failures.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Background

10:02 - The Genesis of Brilliant Labs and AR

14:52 - The Missing Ingredient in AR

28:18 - Noah: An Open-Source Assistant for Frame

31:20 - Differentiating Frame from Other AR Devices

35:09 - Creating Open and Hackable Smart Glasses

38:51 - The Third Path: Combining Openness with Quality and Curation

41:41 - Networking Human Experience

45:42 - The Dangers of Subsidizing Product Sales at a Loss

57:31 - The Future of Glasses: Smart and Indispensable

01:01:01 - Designing for Thinness, Weight, and Distinctive Style

01:04:49 - Local Models: Balancing Functionality and Hardware Constraints

01:08:03 - Lessons from Google Glass and the Importance of Purpose and Design

01:12:20 - Advice for Aspiring Hardware Founders

01:21:44 - Specifications of Frame: Battery Life and Charging

01:27:08 - The Only Rules That Matter: God and Physics

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Daniel Afonso: How to Speak at Tech Conferences, Passion, Pain, Evangelism May 16, 2024

Links

- CodeCrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Daniel on X: https://x.com/danieljcafonso

- Daniel's comic book talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBxipPwGvHY&list=PL6EW34-Kvy8UfigafIhb5l4thKqOvMgIF

Summary

Daniel Afonso shares his journey as a developer advocate, emphasizing his passion for educating developers through conference talks and comic books. He discusses using storytelling and entertainment to explain complex technical topics, including fine-grained reactivity with Marvel's Watchers as an analogy. He addresses overcoming imposter syndrome by learning and presenting topics he initially struggles with and offers tips for creating effective Call for Proposals (CFPs). This episode educates listeners on how tech conferences work and how to secure speaking spots, highlighting the importance of passion, authenticity, and personal experiences in talks, the role of storytelling, and the need for diversity and empathy in developer relations. We also discuss the significance of growth and change in professional environments.

Takeaways

- Embrace opportunities for growth and learning to overcome imposter syndrome.

- Use storytelling and entertainment in presentations to make them engaging and memorable.

- Passion and authenticity are key in delivering engaging talks.

- Diversity in conference talks is important to bring different perspectives and ideas to the audience.

- Empathy is crucial in developer relations and understanding the needs and struggles of others.

Chapters

00:00 Daniel Afonso

03:18 Introduction

06:22 Imposter Syndrome and Conference Speaking

12:14 Using Comic Books to Teach Technical Topics

25:17 Explaining Fine-Grained Reactivity with Watchers

33:12 The Process of Eliminating Imposter Syndrome

35:26 Creating Effective CFPs

01:00:43 The Importance of Diversity in Conference Talks

01:07:18 Passion and Authenticity in Speaking

01:26:23 The Importance of Empathy in Developer Relations

01:37:21 The Importance of Recognizing Personal Value

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Guillermo Rauch, CEO Vercel: Open Source, Next.js, Edge Computing, Partial Pre-rendering May 13, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Guillermo on 𝕏: https://x.com/rauchg

- Vercel: https://vercel.com

- Latency Numbers Every Frontend Developer Should Know: https://vercel.com/blog/latency-numbers-every-web-developer-should-know

- Latency Numbers Every Programmer Should Know: https://brenocon.com/dean_perf.html

Summary

In this discussion with Guillermo Rauch (creator of Socket.io, Next.js, and Vercel CEO), we cover open source, latency, software as physical systems, PPR, distributed systems, edge computing, Vercel’s data centers, AWS/Azure partnerships, reducing cold starts, and balancing quality with rapid shipping.

Takeaways

- Starting from a solid open-source background.

- Understanding latency is crucial for optimizing user experience.

- Viewing software as physical systems aids in performance and scalability.

- Partial pre-rendering (PPR) improves performance by merging static pre-rendering with dynamic server-side rendering.

- Globally distributed systems face challenges like data residency, cost, and compliance.

- Edge computing is key to enhancing website performance and user experience.

- Vercel uses edge computing for fast data transfer and performance.

- Vercel’s infrastructure includes mega data centers and partnerships with AWS and Azure.

- Reducing cold start times is a Vercel priority, with significant advancements.

- Maintaining high quality and attention to detail is crucial, even with rapid shipping.

Chapters

00:00 Guillermo Rauch

03:42 Introduction and Background

11:55 Importance of Latency

32:24 Challenges of Globally Distributed Systems

43:11 Power of Edge Computing

53:18 Edge as the Blessed Path

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Jeff Escalante: How to Build and Run Effective Engineering Teams May 09, 2024

Links

Codecrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters
Stately: https://stately.ai
Clerk: https://clerk.com
Jeff on 𝕏: https://x.com/jescalan

Summary

In this episode, Jeff Escalante (Director of Engineering at Clerk.com) discusses his shift from web development to management, emphasizing replacing oneself as an IC, expanding vision, and acting at the promotion level. He covers leveling employees, handling interview ambiguity, prioritizing customer needs, using Clerk’s feedback system, and choosing tools like ProductLane. The talk also highlights evaluating tech skills, being authentic at work, and balancing honesty with team safety.

Takeaways

1. Promotions and Management: Manage current duties before moving to management; promotions should reflect demonstrated behavior and vision, with clear guidelines and support from companies.

2. Handling Ambiguity and Feedback: Address ambiguity in interviews with thoughtful analysis and solutions; prioritize customer feedback and tech debt using centralized systems.

3. Choosing Software and Partnerships: Select software based on integration and vendor responsiveness; collaborate with smaller companies for mutual benefits.

4. Tech Skills and Authenticity: Evaluate tech skills and adaptability in interviews; be authentic while adapting to work contexts.

5. Relationships and Communication: Balance honesty and trust in relationships; respect communication preferences to build genuine connections. Jeff's handbook offers valuable insights for engineering teams.

Chapters

00:00 Jeff Escalante

04:40 Introduction and Background

07:52 Starting Out in Web Development

13:39 Transitioning to Management at HashiCorp

17:42 Working on Websites and Next.js

29:49 Promotions and Expanding Field of Vision

36:43 Navigating Promotions and Expectations

41:16 Dealing with Frustration and Finding New Opportunities

41:50 The Importance of Properly Leveling Employees

43:21 Strategies for Leveling Employees

47:09 Handling Ambiguity in Interviews

50:48 The Value of Conversation in Defining Projects

53:21 Determining Comfort Levels in Ambiguity

53:54 The Vision-Scope Leveling Question

58:23 Prioritizing Customer Needs and Tech Debt

01:01:02 Navigating the Chaos of Undefined Spaces

01:05:55 Listening to Customer Feedback at Clerk

01:12:07 Importance of Centralized Feedback System

01:12:56 Challenges in Mapping Feedback to Projects

01:15:47 Choosing Product Lane over Other Tools

01:20:17 Value of Partnerships and Investing in Software

01:23:51 The Third Pillar: Evaluating Tech Skills and Handling Ambiguity

01:29:55 Honoring Context and Being Your Full Self

01:31:43 Navigating Personal and Professional Relationships

01:39:02 Balancing Honesty and Building Genuine Relationships

01:40:05 Closing Remarks and Handbook Release

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Matt Biilmann, CEO Netlify: How we built Netlify, Jamstack, DDoS Protection, and Future Direction May 06, 2024

Let's stay in touch? https://twitter.com/tejaskumar_

Links

- Codecrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Stately.ai (Sponsor): https://stately.ai

- Matt on X: https://x.com/biilmann

- Netlify: https://netlify.com

Summary

In this podcast episode, Mathias Biilmann, co-founder and CEO of Netlify, discusses the evolution of Netlify and the invention of the term "Jamstack" in the serverless landscape. Throughout this conversation, Biilmann shares essential life lessons for CEOs and aspiring entrepreneurs, delving deep into the engineering challenges and successes of building Netlify.

Takeaways

- Engineering Innovation: Netlify's journey began with a strong focus on engineering excellence, introducing innovative solutions like deploy previews and immutable deploys. This podcast highlights how Netlify revolutionized the web UI layer, now moving towards exciting uses of AI and open source technologies.

- Jamstack and Serverless Architecture: Biilmann discusses the significance of the Jamstack approach and serverless functions in scaling Netlify's architecture. The platform's ability to handle high traffic and resist DDoS attacks is emphasized, showcasing the robustness of its engineering.

- CEO Insights and Life Lessons: As CEO, Biilmann reflects on the strategic decisions made during Netlify's growth, from handling large enterprise clients like Unilever to implementing a Netlify-specific CDN. His insights provide valuable life lessons for listeners interested in technology leadership.

- AI and Artificial Intelligence: The integration of AI into Netlify's platform is a focal point, with AI features enhancing user experience and operational efficiency. The podcast discusses AI-powered features like deploy diagnostics and AI responses in tools like Slack, which align with the latest trends in artificial intelligence and VR.

- Open Source and Community Engagement: Open sourcing parts of Netlify's platform has contributed significantly to its community engagement. This podcast episode explores how open source principles are integral to Netlify's development and how they resonate with broader engineering practices.

- The Role of a Founder CEO: Reflecting on the podcast, Matt shares life lessons on the evolving role of a CEO in the tech industry. From coding to strategic decision-making, the responsibilities vary but always aim to add significant value to the business.

Chapters

00:00 Matt Biilmann

05:23 Introduction and Background

08:36 The Vision for Netlify

11:24 Challenges and Resistance

14:15 Self-Belief and Conviction

17:08 The Git-Centric Workflow

33:24 Scaling to Functions and Custom CDN

38:03 Building a Software-Only CDN

39:27 Open Sourcing Netlify

41:28 Separation of Concerns

41:50 The Role of the CEO and Founder

44:58 Handling Traffic Spikes and DDoS Attacks

54:42 The Importance of a Free Tier

56:49 Bottom-Up Approach and Enterprise Selling

01:02:54 The Evolution of Revenue Generation

01:04:42 The Power of Developer Advocacy

01:06:29 Handling Large Enterprise Clients

01:07:50 Netlify's Enterprise Customers

01:08:37 Improvements to Netlify's Local Development Experience

01:09:37 Simplifying Adapters for Frameworks

01:10:36 Improving Caching for Dynamic Content

01:11:33 New Features for Frameworks on Netlify

01:14:27 Simplified Next.js Runtime on Netlify

01:16:55 Long-Running Functions and Jobs

01:21:44 AI Features and UI 2.0

01:25:31 Using AI to Improve Netlify's Product

01:27:23 Shortening the Time from Code to Production

01:32:37 The Role of a Founder CEO

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Artem Zakharchenko: How to Write Epic Automated Tests, Mock ServiceWorker, Open Source Apr 29, 2024

Don't forget to share and subscribe. Follow along on 𝕏 at https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Links

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- THAT Conference (partner): https://www.thatconference.com

- Artem on 𝕏: https://x.com/kettanaito

- Epic Web: https://epicweb.dev

- The Golden Rule of Assertions: https://www.epicweb.dev/the-golden-rule-of-assertions

- The True Purpose of Testing: https://www.epicweb.dev/the-true-purpose-of-testing

Takeaways

- Automated testing is crucial for writing better and more reliable software.

- Testing helps developers describe the intention behind the code and ensure that the implementation meets that intention.

- Starting with a minimal functional prototype and then writing tests to verify its behavior is a practical approach to testing.

- Mocking is a technique that helps establish testing boundaries and allows developers to focus on specific behaviors in their tests. Mocking allows you to model different scenarios and create the desired context for tests.

- The testing setup phase is crucial and often underappreciated.

- The golden rule of assertion states that a test should only fail if the intention behind the system is not met.

- Mock Service Worker (MSW) is an API mocking library that uses the Service Worker API to intercept requests and supports both browser and Node.js environments. Open source sustainability is challenging, but financial support from companies can make it more sustainable.

- MSW has gained financial support through programs and partnerships, allowing for further development and support for users.

- Concurrent testing support in MSW allows for better performance and avoids shared state issues.

- Async local storage is a powerful tool in Node.js that helps solve concurrency issues in testing.

- Setting limitations and principles for open source projects helps maintain focus and manage the scope.

- Saying no to contributions is important to maintain the project's vision and scope.

- Adding tests to projects, even small ones, can provide value and ensure reliability.

- The future of testing lies in making it more accessible and having a testing strategy in place.

- Balancing speed and quality in testing requires finding a minimal viable test suite that provides value.

- Automated testing is crucial for ensuring software works reliably in different circumstances.

- The future of testing involves making it more accessible and promoting its importance in software development.

Chapters

00:00 Artem Zakharchenko

08:13 The Importance of Automated Testing

15:37 Artem's Role at Epic Web and Testing Workshops

27:02 Future Plans for Epic Web and Workshops

28:45 Understanding Mocking and Mocking Strategies

31:51 Introduction to Mocking and Modeling Scenarios

33:43 The Broad Use Case of Mocking

35:20 Finding the Right Balance in Mocking

36:40 The Golden Rule of Assertion

39:19 Creation and Iterative Process of Mock Service Worker (MSW)

45:10 Adding Support for Node.js in MSW

52:47 Mocking WebSockets with MSW

01:04:54 Open Source and Sustainability

01:05:43 Supporting MSW

01:07:16 Solving Issues with MSW

01:08:22 Concurrent Testing Support

01:10:38 Using Async Local Storage

01:13:30 Strategies for Open Source Maintainers

01:14:27 Balancing Work-Life and Open Source

01:18:50 Saying No to Contributions

01:26:03 Balancing Speed and Quality in Testing

01:29:00 Adding Automated Testing to Projects

01:33:49 The Future of Testing

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Francesco Ciulla: How to Reach 100k+ People with Code and Content Apr 22, 2024

Links:

- https://tej.as/codecrafters (sponsor)

- https://daily.dev

- https://x.com/FrancescoCiull4

- https://youtube.com/@francescociulla

Join the conversation on 𝕏 at https://x.com/tejaskumar_

In this episode, Francesco Ciulla, a developer and advocate at Daily.dev, shares his journey from working at the European Space Agency to becoming a Docker captain and content creator. He discusses the role of Docker in the tech industry and the process of becoming a Docker captain. Francesco also addresses accusations and criticism he has faced as a content creator and emphasizes the importance of supporting each other on social media. He shares his experience working at the European Space Agency and the use of Docker in managing complex systems. Finally, Francesco talks about his focus on Rust and the benefits of starting a YouTube channel. Francesco Ciulla discusses his journey of learning in private and learning in public, emphasizing the value of documenting the learning process. He shares his motivation for creating content and the benefits of being an early adopter in a less crowded space.

Francesco also talks about accepting and embracing introversion, and how it has influenced his teaching and content creation. He highlights the importance of putting pressure on oneself to grow and achieve goals, while maintaining a growth mindset and being brutally honest about one's abilities and aspirations. He emphasizes that it's never too late to pursue your passions and make a change in your career. Francesco also explains the role of a developer advocate and the importance of building trust and connections with developers. He discusses the unique model of daily.dev, a platform for developers, and how it relies on funding and community engagement. Francesco shares insights on measuring the effectiveness of dev rel work and provides tips for leveraging social media algorithms to increase visibility and engagement.

Takeaways

- It's never too late to pursue your passions and make a change in your career.

- Developer advocates play a crucial role in building trust and connections between companies and developers.

- The daily.dev platform relies on funding and community engagement to provide free content and services to developers.

- Measuring the effectiveness of dev rel work can be challenging, but metrics such as social media growth and user engagement can be used as indicators.

- Understanding the algorithms and audience of each social media platform is essential for maximizing visibility and engagement.

Chapters

00:00 Francesco Ciulla

01:06 Becoming a Docker Captain

14:08 Working at the European Space Agency

28:36 Exploring Rust and Content Creation

30:03 Learning in Private vs. Learning in Public

34:02 Teaching and Documenting the Learning Process

41:17 Accepting and Embracing Introversion

46:17 Putting Pressure on Yourself to Grow

53:51 Growth Mindset

01:03:22 It's Never Too Late

01:06:06 Understanding DevRel

01:11:30 Daily.dev and the Free Model

01:18:36 Measuring DevRel Success

01:26:00 Algorithm Tricks for Social Media

01:33:04 Closing Remarks

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Ujjwal Sharma: How JavaScript is Made, Building the Web, Bias, Inclusion, and Equality Apr 15, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Ujjwal on X: https://x.com/ryzokuken

- Tejas on X: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Takeaways

- TC39 is responsible for maintaining the JavaScript language specification and ensuring the evolution of the language.

- Implementing JavaScript in browsers is a collaborative effort between companies like Google, Mozilla, and Apple, with Igalia playing a significant role.

- Language evolution requires balancing the needs and perspectives of various stakeholders, including browser vendors, platform owners, and developers.

- API design considerations include security, privacy, and the ability to isolate potential risks.

- Moving slowly in language development is crucial to ensure stability and safety. The web is both a blessing and a curse, serving as a reliable and trustworthy platform for communication while also presenting challenges like disinformation.

- Web technologies have become the de facto way of building interfaces, surpassing other methods and becoming a crucial part of the tech stack.

- Internationalization in JavaScript is facilitated by the Intl suite, which provides building blocks for localizing content into different languages, currencies, and cultures.

- Participating in the TC39 process involves engaging in discussions and providing feedback on proposals through GitHub repositories.

- Respectful and inclusive discussions are essential in the TC39 process, fostering collaboration and ensuring the growth and improvement of the JavaScript language.

- Internationalization plays a crucial role in making the web more accessible and inclusive, allowing people from different cultures and geographies to engage with online content. Technology needs to be more inclusive and adaptive to accommodate the needs of all users.

- The bias in technology benefits those who are already privileged, and it is important to address this bias to create a more equitable tech ecosystem.

- The web should be accessible to all, regardless of language or cultural background.

Chapters

00:00 Ujjwal Sharma

05:00 Introduction and Background

12:49 Implementing JavaScript in Browsers

20:01 The Challenges of Language Evolution

34:57 Balancing Stakeholder Perspectives in TC39

37:45 The Importance of Moving Slowly in Language Development

38:21 The Blessing and Curse of the Web

45:11 The Journey of Temporal and Intl

53:25 Participating in the TC39 Process

01:06:38 The Philosophical Question of Accessibility

01:09:59 The Need for a Broader Perspective

01:11:00 The Bias in Technology

01:15:10 The Divide Between English and Non-English Speakers

01:19:35 The Challenge of Implementing Different Calendars

01:24:28 The Role of AI in the Web

01:30:08 Contributing to the TC39 Committee

01:38:55 Dreaming Big for the Future

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Yoav Ganbar: How to Create the Fastest Web Experiences with Qwik Apr 08, 2024

Links

- Codecrafters (Sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Follow me on X: https://twitter.com/tejaskumar_

- Follow Yoav on X: https://twitter.com/HamatoYogi

- Qwik’s next leap - moving forward together: https://builder.io/blog/qwik-next-leap

- Towards Qwik 2.0: Lighter, Faster, Better: https://builder.io/blog/qwik-2-coming-soon

- Qwik Microfrontends TikTok clone: https://github.com/gioboa/qwik-tiktok-microfrontends

- Qwik-angular: https://github.com/QwikDev/qwik-angular

- Qwik-vue: https://github.com/mizchi/qwik-vue

- Visual copilot v1: https://builder.io/blog/visual-copilot

Takeaways

- Builder.io is a visual headless CMS that allows developers to build websites and sections of websites using a visual editor.

- The Builder.io ecosystem includes tools like Party Town and Mitosis, which help with managing third-party scripts and transforming code for different frameworks.

- Developers can register their own components from their code base in Builder.io and easily connect them to the visual editor.

- Builder.io can be used in collaboration with other CMS platforms and APIs, allowing for flexibility and integration with existing systems. Qwik is becoming an open-source project, detached from Builder.io, to encourage community involvement and contributions.

- Qwik is well-positioned to address Core Web Vitals and improve Interaction to Next Paint (INP) scores.

- Qwik UI and other ecosystem projects enhance the Qwik framework and provide additional functionality.

- Qwik 2.x will introduce improvements such as out-of-order streaming and a better micro-front-end story.

- The concept of Qwik Server Components is being explored, but it may not align with the server-first approach of Qwik.

- Apple's support for PWAs remains a topic of discussion and debate.

Summary

Yoav Ganbar, a developer relations engineer at Builder.io, joins the podcast to discuss the visual headless CMS and its ecosystem. Yoav shares his background and how he ended up at Builder.io. He explains that Builder.io is a visual no-code tool that helps build websites and sections of websites, and it is framework-agnostic. Yoav also introduces the other tools in the Builder.io ecosystem, including Party Town and Mitosis. In this part of the conversation, Yoav Ganbar discusses the Visual Copilot V1 and the ecosystem, the use of Mitosis and Sveltosis in Builder.io, the core principles and unique selling points of Qwik, the implementation and debugging of Qwik, the upcoming Qwik 2.0 and community-driven development, the importance of understanding servers in web development, the journey of learning web development, and a big announcement made by Yoav Ganbar. In this conversation, Yoav Ganbar discusses the announcement that Qwik is becoming an open-source project, detached from Builder.io.

Chapters

00:00 Yoav Ganbar

03:26 Introduction and Background

06:33 Yoav's Journey to Builder

11:26 Builder.io and the Ecosystem

32:45 Mitosis

33:58 Qwik: Core Principles and Unique Selling Points

36:16 Qwik Implementation and Debugging

39:39 Qwik 2.0 and Community-Driven Development

49:14 Builder.io and the Use of Qwik

58:20 The Importance of Understanding Servers in Web Development

1:01:29 The Journey of Learning Web Development

1:02:27 The Big Announcement

1:02:36 Qwik Becoming Open Source

1:03:35 Qwik and Core Web Vitals

1:04:59 Qwik UI and Ecosystem Projects

1:05:56 Moving to Qwik Dev and New Governance Model

1:06:55 Benefits of Open Source and Community Ownership

1:10:27 Improvements in Qwik 2.x

1:15:12 Qwik and Core Web Vitals

1:17:30 Out of Order Streaming in Qwik 2.x

1:24:44 Qwik Server Components

1:28:03 Apple and PWAs

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Lazar Nikolov: How to Maximize Application Monitoring and Performance Apr 01, 2024

Follow me on 𝕏: https://twitter.com/tejaskumar_

Links

- Sentry: https://sentry.io

- Lazar on 𝕏: https://twitter.com/NikolovLazar

In this in-depth podcast episode, we delve into the world of Sentry, a powerful tool designed to enhance software performance and reliability. From the initial introduction to Sentry's comprehensive suite of features, we explore how Sentry instruments a broad array of software, ensuring peak performance and minimal errors. The discussion includes a comparative analysis with TypeScript, highlighting Sentry's unique approach to software instrumentation and its focus on privacy and security.

We further investigate Sentry's capabilities in de-obfuscating code with source maps, offering insights into the nuanced differences between Replay.io, session replay technologies, and Sentry's innovative solutions. The spotlight shines on Sentry's dev-time monitoring, trace propagation within database transactions, and its distinct differentiators that set it apart from competitors. Notably, the episode covers Sentry's report on the most common pitfalls in apps, akin to a Spotify Wrapped but for software errors, providing a deep dive into error and stack proximity reporting with Sentry.

Performance metrics, such as the Apdex score and Core Web Vitals, including Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), are thoroughly examined, alongside strategies for mitigating CLS and addressing font-related issues like Flash of Unstyled Text (FOUT) and Flash of Invisible Text (FOIT). The episode proposes innovative solutions, such as tree shaking for font glyphs and dynamic font replacement to prevent layout shifts and text visibility problems.

Listeners will gain insights into Sentry's internals, including its architecture, use of Rust, and data storage strategies. The episode also discusses the scale challenges Sentry has overcome and how Sentry employs its own tools for self-monitoring. The conversation concludes with guidance on when to avoid Sentry and reiterates best practices for utilizing Sentry to its full potential, ensuring listeners are equipped with the knowledge to tackle common software performance issues effectively.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:07 - Sponsor

01:51 - Greetings

02:53 - Defining Sentry's Suite of Features

04:43 - How does Sentry instrument a wide variety of software?

09:32 - Sentry compared to TypeScript

12:31 - Sentry and Privacy

16:57 - De-obfuscating Code with Source Maps

19:46 - Replay.io vs. Session Replay and Sentry

21:20 - Sentry Spotlight and Dev-Time Monitoring

25:07 - Propagating a Trace inside a Database Transaction

27:38 - Sentry Differentiators

35:58 - Sentry Report of Most Common Pitfalls in Apps, like Spotify Wrapped but with Sentry

39:42 - Children and error/stack proximity with Sentry reporting

42:22 - The Apdex as a Performance Metric

44:56 - Performance and Core Web Vitals

49:20 - Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

54:43 - Where does CLS happen in the rendering process and mitigation steps

58:19 - Fonts as a source of CLS, FOUT (Flash of Unstyled Text), and FOIT (Flash of Invisible Text)

01:05:11 - Free Open Source Project Idea: Tree Shaking for Font Glyphs

01:05:57 - Replacing fonts when loaded to prevent CLS, FOIT, and FOUT

01:08:51 - How Sentry helps with Core Web Vitals

01:11:49 - Sentry Internals: Architecture, Data Stores, Rust

01:17:21 - Scale Problems that Sentry went through

01:19:12 - Does Sentry use Sentry? Sentry on Sentry

01:21:13 - When to Avoid Sentry

01:22:11 - Sentry Salient (Repeating) Best Practices

01:26:10 - Conclusion

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Kyle Simpson: How to Write a JavaScript Book, Degrees and Gatekeeping in Tech, New Startup Vella.ai Mar 25, 2024

Follow me on 𝕏 for more: https://twitter.com/tejaskumar_

Links

- Kyle on 𝕏: https://twitter.com/getifyx

- Vella.ai: https://vella.ai

- Codecrafters (sponsor): https://tej.as/codecrafters

- Stately (sponsor): https://stately.ai

Takeaways

- The You Don't Know JS books have been successful, with over 300,000 copies sold across all editions.

- Kyle Simpson decided to move away from the traditional publishing model due to constraints and a desire for more creative freedom.

- Giving away the books for free on GitHub has not negatively impacted sales, and many readers have chosen to support Kyle by purchasing the books.

- Accessibility and making knowledge available to a wide audience are central to Kyle's approach.

- There are multiple pathways to publishing, including traditional publishing, self-publishing, and platforms like Leanpub. Publishing with O'Reilly provides a prestigious reputation and distribution, while self-publishing offers more control and potentially higher royalties.

- Get a Pub is Kyle's publishing assistance service for self-published authors, while Lean Pub is a platform for incremental publishing and distribution.

- Education should be seen as an ongoing journey, and college degrees may become less relevant over time as the industry evolves.

- Gatekeeping in the tech industry can be a barrier for those without formal education, but continuous learning and self-education can bridge the gap.

- Rejection can be a catalyst for personal growth and the pursuit of knowledge, leading to impactful contributions and a deeper understanding of a subject.

- Prioritizing knowledge and learning in the workplace is essential for personal and professional growth, and it's important to find a company that values continuous learning.

- Learning should be seen as a continuous process, with a focus on understanding and deepening knowledge rather than just acquiring new skills.

- Vella.ai is a venture that aims to prioritize user ownership of data and privacy, offering a local-first approach to AI and smart assistants.

In this episode, Kyle Simpson discusses his experience as the author of the You Don't Know JS books and his decision to move away from the traditional publishing model. He shares the status and future plans of the second edition of the books and the impact of giving away the content for free on GitHub. Kyle emphasizes the importance of accessibility and making knowledge available to as many people as possible.

Chapters

- 00:00 Kyle Simpson

- 04:59 Introduction and Background

- 05:59 You Don't Know JS Books

- 09:19 Status and Future Plans of the Second Edition

- 10:13 Published Books in the Second Edition

- 11:40 Books That May Not Be Written

- 13:44 Authoring Experience and Constraints

- 18:20 Giving Away the Book for Free on GitHub

- 29:26 Accessibility and Publishing Dreams

- 31:01 Pathways to Publishing

- 39:44 Publishing with O'Reilly and Self-Publishing

- 41:02 Get a Pub and Lean Pub

- 47:46 Education, Gatekeeping, and Learning

- 50:35 The Role of College and Continuous Learning

- 58:43 Kyle's Rejection from Twitter and the You Don't Know JS Series

- 01:11:45 Prioritizing Knowledge and Learning in the Workplace

- 01:12:15 Becoming Less Employable and Unexpected Challenges

- 01:13:57 The Misunderstanding of Tejas' Contract

- 01:15:12 The Value of Specialization and Experience

- 01:17:54 Learning as a Living Standard

- 01:22:14 The Shift in Valuing Experience in Engineering

- 01:25:16 The Dog Wagging the Tail in Tech

- 01:28:00 Kyle's Venture: Vela.ai

- 01:35:45 The Mission of Vela.ai

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Atila Fassina: Build your ecosystem, SolidJS, Tauri, Rust, and Developer Experience Mar 18, 2024

Dive into the cutting-edge of web development with our latest episode, focusing on SolidJS, React fatigue, and innovative JavaScript technologies. We kick off with an inspirational look at SolidJS, exploring why developers are shifting towards this reactive framework amidst growing React skepticism. Delve into the TC39 proposal for native JavaScript Signals and the burgeoning SolidStart ecosystem, underlining its appeal through ease of contribution compared to React.

We unpack SolidJS documentation and Atila's journey into the project, highlighting the framework's accessibility for newcomers and contrasting it with React's complexity. The discussion extends to implementing Signals in React, evaluating the tangible benefits of performance optimizations, and detailing SolidJS's advantages and potential drawbacks.

Stay tuned for insights into SolidStart's latest developments, the vibrant SolidJS community, and practical advice for migrating from other libraries. Special segments include a spotlight on codemods, the groundbreaking CrabNebula project, and leveraging Tauri with Rust for desktop applications. We explore Rust's benefits, the unique offerings of CrabNebula in DevTools, cloud solutions, and security audits, culminating with ways to engage with CrabNebula's initiatives.

Wrapping up, Atila shares key takeaways on navigating the evolving web development landscape. Whether you're contending with React fatigue, curious about SolidJS, or interested in desktop app development with Tauri and Rust, this episode offers invaluable insights into modern web technologies and their practical applications.

Links:

- Atila on 𝕏: https://twitter.com/atilafassina

- Atila on YouTube: @AtilaDotIO

- SolidJS: https://solidjs.com

- CrabNebula: https://crabnebula.dev

- Tauri DevTools: https://devtools.crabnebula.dev

- Tauri: https://tauri.app

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

02:59 - Welcome

04:20 - Getting Inspired about SolidJS

06:59 - React Fatigue: Doubts and Questions about React

10:09 - Signals as Native JavaScript (TC39 Proposal)

12:38 - SolidStart and Ecosystem

21:01 - SolidJS Docs and How Atila Got Involved

24:45 - React is Hard to Contribute To/SolidJS is Easier; Why?

35:23 - Understanding SolidJS for newcomers

40:33 - Signals in React

46:38 - Do the minimal perf gains even matter?

52:56 - SolidJS Pros and Cons

56:45 - SolidStart Developments

01:04:27 - SolidJS Community and Ryan

01:07:39 - Migrating to SolidJS from another library

01:12:28 - Codemods and Kent C. Dodds

01:14:15 - CrabNebula

01:15:57 - Tauri, Rust, and Desktop Apps with JavaScript

01:21:13 - Rust: Benefits and Tradeoffs

01:32:37 - CrabNebula offerings: DevTools for Tauri

01:41:00 - CrabNebula offerings: Cloud

01:42:17 - CrabNebula offerings: Security Audits

01:44:46 - Getting involved with CrabNebula

01:45:57 - Main Takeaway from Atila

01:47:01 - Conclusion

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How do computers actually work? From electrons to the web. Mar 11, 2024

Follow me on 𝕏: https://x.com/tejaskumar_

Dive into the fascinating world of computing with our podcast episode titled "How do computers actually work? From electrons to hardware to the web." We unravel the mystery starting from the fundamental building blocks of technology—electrons, and how they power datacenters, to the intricacies of hardware and firmware. Journey through the critical layers of computing, including the OS kernel, CPU operations, memory management, and storage solutions. Security gets its due with an exploration of TPM, setting the stage for a deep dive into software architecture. We break down frontend technologies and backend infrastructure, covering everything from HTML and CSS to cloud computing and network protocols. The episode culminates with a discussion on CI/CD pipelines and the decision-making process in tech development. It's a comprehensive guide for anyone curious about the inner workings of computers and the internet.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:17 - Sponsor

02:47 - Everything is a Stack, with Layers on Layers

04:55 - The Lowest Layer: Subatomic Particles

09:21 - Types of Current: AC and DC (Alternating and Direct Current)

12:36 - How Datacenters use Electricity

15:45 - The Next Layer: Hardware

19:07 - The Next Layer: Firmware

21:46 - The Next Layer: The OS Kernel

24:21 - Diving Deeper: Motherboard

27:59 - The OS Kernel

29:43 - CPU, Threading, Multithreading, Hyperthreading, Clock Speed

36:53 - Memory/RAM, Volatile Memory, Virtual Memory

39:43 - Storage, Hard Drives, Solid State Drives

41:33 - TPM (Trusted Platform Module)

42:59 - The Next Layer: Software

43:46 - Software Architecture

47:08 - Frontend Deep Dive: HTML, HTMX, CSS, TailwindCSS, JavaScript, Accessibility, and Network

59:53 - What happens when data fetching: TCP/IP stack, HTTP and SSL encryption, how data flows over the network and internet

01:12:05 - Receiving a Network Request on the Backend, DNS, Firewalls, Load Balancing, SSL Termination, Reverse Proxies

01:20:38 - Backend Architecture: Caches, Queues, Distributed Systems, Control Plane vs. Data Plane

01:25:44 - Cloud Computing: Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), Subnets, NATs

01:28:30 - Adjusting Expectations for Frontend and Backend

01:29:34 - CI/CD Pipelines, Webhooks, git-based deploys

01:30:21 - Build it or buy it?

01:31:18 - Conclusion

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Kent C. Dodds: Create Epic Web Experiences with Remix Mar 04, 2024

Links

- Sentry: https://sentry.io

- Epic Web: https://epicweb.dev

- Kent's Website: https://kentcdodds.com

- Remix: https://remix.run

Join us in this enlightening episode as we welcome Kent C. Dodds, a renowned figure in the web development community and a dear friend, known for his impactful contributions and innovative teaching methods. Dive deep into Kent's journey, from his initial steps in the tech world to becoming a pivotal voice in modern web development. Explore the evolution of the web, understanding the critical milestones and breaking changes that have shaped its current state. Discover the art of building modern web experiences that surpass user expectations, emphasizing the importance of web performance, and adopting an empathy-driven approach to software development.

Kent shares his insights on why Remix stands out as a premier framework, addressing common challenges like the complexity of Next.js and the intricacies of nested routes. Gain valuable knowledge on making strategic decisions between client and server rendering in Remix, and the practical steps for migrating from Vite/SPA to React Server Components (RSCs) with Remix, highlighting the revolutionary potential of RSCs in enhancing web development.

The conversation takes a personal turn as Kent discusses his experiences creating the wildly successful Epic React course, revealing his approach to course ideation, preparation, and the secret to staying organized amidst a busy schedule. Listen to inspiring stories from Kent's career at PayPal, his influence on his team, and the personal philosophies that contribute to his enduring happiness and success.

Lastly, tackle the daunting task of dealing with legacy code with minimal coverage, offering strategies and insights to navigate and improve upon existing codebases efficiently.

This episode is a treasure trove for developers, educators, and tech enthusiasts alike, filled with practical advice, inspiring stories, and a deep dive into the technologies and methodologies driving forward-thinking web development.

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:35 - Sponsor

02:58 - Greetings

03:49 - Kent's Background and Experience

05:53 - How did the Web get to where it is today?

12:56 - Breaking Changes on the Web

20:30 - Building Modern Web Experiences to Meet User Expectations

24:07 - Web performance, spinners and loading state: building for users over developers

33:03 - Empathy Driven Development; Software as an act of Service

38:37 - Why is Remix the best?

50:04 - "Next.js was too complex" explained

56:00 - Nested Routes in Detail

01:07:23 - Lever: Choosing between Client or Server rendering in Remix

01:10:30 - Incrementally Migrating from Vite/SPA to React Server Components (RSCs) with Remix

01:14:12 - React Server Components (RSCs) in Remix

01:25:19 - Server Components and Composability; Kent's new talk on RSCs

01:30:50 - Matt Pocock: how was Epic React an overnight success?

01:34:29 - Hayat Rachi: How do you go through course ideation and prep?

01:36:08 - Artem Zakharchenko: how are you so organized?

01:39:13 - David Sancho: PayPal career, team influence, and why Kent seems happy all the time

01:42:05 - Oluwatobiloba: how do you deal with a legacy code with minimal coverage?

01:44:39 - Conclusion

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Catch Up on Today's Web: AI, CSS, JavaScript and HTML Feb 26, 2024

In today's episode, we dive deep into the world of artificial intelligence, starting with a basic understanding of AI and the pivotal role of AI Engineers. We explore the pressing question: "Is AI going to take my job?" and differentiate between answer engines and search engines, highlighting their impacts on how we find information.

Transitioning into web development, our discussion shifts towards CSS, covering advanced topics like view transitions, container queries, the :has selector, dynamic viewport units, and the debate on the necessity of JavaScript (JS) when CSS can offer powerful solutions.

Further, we delve into the latest JavaScript updates, including the introduction of `Object.groupBy`, immutable array methods, and exciting new tools and frameworks like vlt (new npm), Bun, Tauri 2.0, and a discussion on modern JavaScript frameworks including Signals, Qwik, and React Forget, focusing on bundle size optimization.

We also cover significant HTML developments, such as OpenUI, the new `selectmenu` and `popover` elements, the `dialog` element, and HTMX, offering insights into how these advancements are shaping the future of web development.

Wrapping up, we conclude with reflections on the topics covered and their implications for developers and the broader tech community. Join us for an informative journey through the latest in AI and web development.

Links

OramaSearch: https://oramasearch.com

Karpathy's post: https://twitter.com/karpathy/status/1674873002314563584

Rise of the AI Engineer: https://www.latent.space/p/ai-engineer

Perplexity (Answer Engine): https://perplexity.ai

Keel: https://keel.so

KeelGPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-0xwNB1Azt-keelgpt

vlt: https://vlt.sh

Bun: https://bun.sh

Tauri: https://tauri.app

OpenUI: https://open-ui.org/

HTMX: https://htmx.org/

Chapters

00:00 - Intro

01:53 - Sponsor

02:43 - AI

05:27 - AI Engineering: What is an AI Engineer?

12:26 - Is AI going to take my job?

22:53 - Answer Engines vs. Search Engines

28:26 - CSS: View Transitions

35:45 - CSS: Container Queries

48:53 - CSS: :has selector

50:41 - CSS: Dynamic Viewport Units

54:22 - CSS: Why not just use JS?

56:27 - JavaScript: Object.groupBy

58:47 - JavaScript: Immutable Array Methods

01:04:31 - JavaScript: vlt (new npm)

01:08:09 - JavaScript: Bun

01:10:47 - JavaScript: Tauri 2.0

01:15:26 - JavaScript: Frameworks, Signals, Qwik, Bundle Size, React Forget

01:31:00 - HTML: OpenUI, selectmenu, popover

01:34:20 - HTML: dialog element

01:37:05 - HTML: HTMX

01:45:31 - Conclusion

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Welcome to ConTejas Code Feb 19, 2024

This episode is an introduction to the Contagious Code podcast, outlining the motivation behind the show, what listeners and viewers can expect, and how they can get involved. Episodes will air weekly for a season, where there are about 8 episodes total. Then, we will regroup and record another season that will air after a short break. Ideally, we keep episodes rolling, but we'll need to evaluate this in light of temporal and financial budgets.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:40 Motivation

01:37 Podcast Format

02:30 Motivation Part 2

03:57 How to Get Involved

05:14 Sponsorships

06:07 Conclusion

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