Syntax &#8211; Tasty Web Development Treats

938: Hot Takes + Bike Shedding Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

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

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:26 CSS variables: descriptive vs. semantic
03:38 snake_case vs. camelCase
04:54 Default exports vs. named exports
06:23 Barrel files vs. direct imports
09:15 Function declaration vs. function expression
11:00 Inferred types vs. explicit types
13:40 Brought to you by Sentry.io
14:40 Long and explicit variable names vs. short with comments
16:27 Self-documenting code vs. code comments
17:03 Rebase vs. merge commit
18:39 Naming event parameters: e vs. event
20:33 Tabs vs. spaces
22:18 Big line height vs. small line height
23:50 Hard line length vs. line wrap

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937: Is The Omarchy Hype Real? Sep 15, 2025

Show notes

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

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
02:31 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
02:55 What is Omarchy?
- 02:57 Arch-based distribution.
- 03:42 Hyprland window management.
- 05:08 Wayland Display Server Protocol.
- 06:27 Installation Defaults.
- 06:53 System-wide shortcuts.
09:01 My first impressions.
- 09:41 Connecting to my NAS.
- 10:54 Gigantic UI.
12:21 Day 2 Experiences.
- 13:22 Resizing window challenges.
- 16:11 Neovim and Lazyvim.
- 16:49 Lazygit.
19:07 How do you use it and why is it good.
- 19:14 Command Palette.
- 19:49 Raycast.
  - Recreating Raycast.
- 20:50 Using the app launcher.
- 21:25 Screensavers.
- 21:59 OS Style.
22:55 My apps, my apps, my apps, check it out.
- 25:07 Is the hardware comparable to Mac’s M processors?
- 27:24 Installing new apps.
29:26 Web apps as first class citizens.
32:47 What I’ll miss.
- 35:56 What’s going on with MacOS UI?
38:37 Annoyances.
39:31 My advice.
- Read the Manual.
44:39 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs.

936: Realtime LED Wall With React + Websockets (I Let Strangers Control It) Sep 10, 2025

Show notes

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

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
02:03 Wes’ Hackweek project: a web-controlled LED grid
03:52 The hardware: LED panels, soldering, and power
- WS2812 LED panels
06:38 ESP32 microcontroller and WLED firmware explained
- ESP32 Microcontroller
10:57 Power supply challenges and injection fixes
15:05 Debugging and testing a DIY LED matrix
15:56 Shorts, blown circuits, and melted wires
17:58 Designing and 3D-printing the diffuser for crisp pixels
21:29 The software: Cloudflare Durable Objects + Party Server
- Cloudflare Durable Objects
- Party.server
22:18 Real-time sync and state management across clients
- Party Client
28:43 Connecting the server to the LED hardware
41:51 Open access fun: scripts, NSFW images, and moderation
- Cloudflare tunnel
44:10 Live demos
45:34 Future plans: stats, rooms, and making it always-on

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935: CJ Made A Sega Game In 2025 Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

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

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:44 Why a Sega game?
- Sega Genesis.
- Sega Master System.
- MKBHD Retro Tech: Sega.
06:55 What is it running on?
07:49 Working with assembly code.
10:11 Sega Genesis Development Kit.
- Stephane-D GitHub.
10:54 Awesome Megadrive.
12:02 Booting on an emulator.
13:07 Gens and KMod.
15:54 Compiling stage.
17:44 Genesis Code VS Code Extension.
18:22 Images and Assets.
19:46 Loading images with bitmap.
23:50 Megacat Studios.
25:21 Z index?
- Faking Parallax.
27:34 Specific code examples.
27:51 Platformer Engine.
30:01 Platformer Sample Game.
30:44 LDTK (Level Designer Toolkit).
33:13 Tiled Collision mapping.
37:42 What about debugging?
39:37 Loading in levels.
- RetroGameMechanicsExplained.
- Sega Mega-CD Development Unit.
43:56 Challenges with graphics.
49:56 Adding music.
- Super Cartridge.
- Flahskit Programmer MD.
- Flashkit Cart MD.

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934: We Built a Real-Time, Local-Data, Competitive Coding Game Sep 03, 2025

Show notes

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

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:50 Brought to you by Sentry.io
02:30 What is SynHax?
- This Button Broke Our Brains (CSS Challenge)
04:21 The Stack
07:39 How it works
15:03 The battle experience
28:28 Fun details
34:12 Creating new battles & the admin dashboard

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933: Hackweek Overview - What Is It, What Did We Build Sep 01, 2025

Show notes

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

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
00:04 What is Hackweek?
- 01:05 Hackweek projects spark motivation.
04:05 Choosing our projects.
- 04:34 What we chose.
05:11 CJ’s Hackweek Project.
- 05:51 Using SGDK C language toolkit.
- 07:02 Writing to an Everdrive.
- 08:09 What game engine did you use?
  - Platformer Engine.
  - LDtk.
- 12:11 What was the end result?
14:09 Wes’ Hackweek Project.
- 16:15 Why hardware projects?
- Watch the Video Here.
19:09 Scott’s Hackweek Project.
- Watch the Video Here.
- 21:42 Early considerations.
25:42 AI usage.

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932: Vibe Coding’s Huge Problem Aug 27, 2025

Show notes

Wes and Scott talk about the dangers of vibe coding when it comes to authentication and access control. They share real-world examples of security fails, discuss how to avoid client-side-only checks, and offer practical tips for protecting sensitive user data in your apps.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- We build the world’s most painful CAPTCHAs (Kitboga scammers)
02:08 Brought to you by Sentry.io
02:33 Wes’ vibe coding experience
- Wes’ app
04:38 The Tea app disaster
- Tea app
07:45 Don’t vibe code access control
- Better Auth with Better Auth
09:38 Let in, don’t lock down
11:23 Server vs. client-side code
13:46 Visualize access control
15:30 Automate tests
17:00 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs

Sick Picks

Scott: A City on Mars
Wes: Hotel Collection Essential Oils

Shameless Plugs

Syntax YouTube Channel

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931: Project Init - How to Make Good Choices When Starting a New Coding Project Aug 25, 2025

Show notes

Scott and Wes dive into the fundamentals of project initialization and planning, from outlining ideas and choosing the right tools to making smart technology decisions. They also chat about leveraging AI and collaboration to shape better projects before rolling up your sleeves and getting to work.

Show Notes

00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
02:12 Brought to you by Sentry.io.
04:03 Make a plan.
- 04:06 Start with an outline and let it evolve.
- 05:59 Mind-Mapping software vs plain text.
- 08:49 Utilizing LLMs for alternative perspectives.
- 09:58 Utilizing humans for alternative perspectives.
11:17 Making technology choices.
- 13:24 Assessing the project’s actual needs.
- 13:30 Is this a long-term project?
- 15:43 Is this project Open Source?
- 16:09 Are you working in a team?
- 18:12 Are you prioritizing learning?
- 19:48 Pick technologies with proven compatibility.
20:17 Implementing AI.
- 20:44 Steering docs.
26:24 Get to work and break stuff.

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