Whiskey Web and Whatnot: Web Development, Neat

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CSS Trig, Cypress, and Software Testing Alternatives Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

Slow page speeds and bad developer experience are huge pain points. If you can get those two things right, the developer community will likely rally behind you. CSS hit the bullseye when it introduced trigonometry functions to boost performance by avoiding Javascript. But Cypress has been a big letdown in DX.

Before introducing trig functions, CSS was pretty limited and it relied on Javascript to do all the complex styling. Since Javascript takes a significant amount of time to parse, that’s a big hit to your overall page speed. Now, CSS trig functions allow more flexibility to style pages with angles. Even Chuck, who isn’t a fan of CSS, can admit this is a big win for developers. Cypress, on the other hand, has locked some of their features behind a paywall and some developers are not happy about the change. Chuck and Robbie both find the tool too complicated and expensive compared to its alternatives.

In this episode, Robbie and Chuck talk about CSS introducing trigonometry functions to avoid Javascript, why Cypress isn’t living up to their expectations, testing software alternatives, and Chuck’s new sim racing hobby.

Key Takeaways

[00:28] - A whiskey review: Orphan Barrel: Muckety Muck 26 Year
[09:28] - CSS adds trigonometry functions.
[17:05] - What makes a good testing tool.
[33:19] - Chuck and Robbie talk about their upbringing and food.
[40:45] - Chuck’s sim racing experiences.
[50:46] - Robbie talks about selling his house.

Quotes

[27:32] - “I tried to use Cypress, and I just gave up because it took me more than an hour to figure out, and I was just like, that's not worth my time.” ~ Robbie Wagner

[28:43] - “Playwright looks like a pretty nice play in the space.” ~ Chuck Carpenter

[30:00] - “As a professional developer, if a tool is helping me every day, and you say it’s going to cost me $10 a day, okay. As long as I don't have 400 tools that I need to pay $10 a month for.” ~ Robbie Wagner

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This show is brought to you by Ship Shape. Ship Shape’s software consultants solve complex software and app development problems with top-tier coding expertise, superior service, and speed. In a sea of choices, our senior-level development crew rises above the rest by delivering the best solutions for fintech, cybersecurity, and other fast-growing industries. Check us out at shipshape.io.

SQL vs NoSQL, Web Technologies, and Holiday Recap Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

If you’re like Robbie and you haven’t dug into SQL since college, learning the basics of SQL vs NoSQL is a great place to start. Working with data isn’t a part of every developer’s day-to-day, but it can’t hurt to understand the differences.

NoSQL is gaining popularity among engineers because of the ease and flexibility of updating fields with new data. Some engineers prefer taking unstructured data and using a programming language they already know, like Python, to write their queries. SQL is far more structured and requires strict rules for writing queries. As with most things in tech, whether SQL is better than NoSQL depends on your business and use cases.

In this episode, Robbie and Chuck talk about the pros and cons of SQL vs NoSQL, why they like SQL databases like Prisma and Postgres, and their Christmas and New Year festivities.

Key Takeaways

[00:56] - Chuck and Robbie wrap up the Advent of Whiskey.
[01:35] - A whiskey Review: Yellowstone Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
[04:47] - SQL versus NoSQL.
[13:24] - Using Prisma and MySQL.
[28:56] - Chuck and Robbie discuss the holidays and family life.

Quotes

[16:40] - “I don't have to touch databases much, but when I do, I like that they are Postgres.” ~ Robbie Wagner

[17:13] - “I never really remember having fun with a project that was in SQL Server or MySQL.” ~ Robbie Wagner

[22:26] - “This project is using Prisma, and Prisma has nice sugar around accessing entities.” ~ Chuck Carpenter

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The Case for Adopting TypeScript with Josh Goldberg Jan 12, 2023

Show notes

Many people dream about being their own boss, but there’s no clear rulebook that outlines how to get there. While self-employment seems glorious to some, it’s not for everyone. How does someone know when they are ready to take the step into the unknown, and how do they know if that choice will suit them?

Josh Goldberg, Open Source Developer and author of Learning TypeScript, built much of his coding career at Microsoft and Codecademy before taking the leap into full-time open source tooling in January 2022. Since then, he has published a book and expanded his networking by speaking at over 30 conferences, but he still has time to discuss coding languages and hiking in Arizona over a glass of whiskey.
In this episode, Josh talks to Chuck and Robbie about Typescript adoption, becoming a full-time open source developer, and the power of expanding your professional network.

Key Takeaways

[01:48] - An intro to Josh Goldberg.
[2:28] - A whiskey review - Barrell Armida Bourbon Whiskey.
[07:01] - Chuck, Robbie, and Josh’s whiskey rating.
[12:27] - Josh’s latest book, Learning TypeScript.
[21:27] - GraphQL vs. TypeScript.
[23:40] - Josh’s journey into TypeScript.
[27:18] - Josh’s thoughts on adding a type system directly to JavaScript.
[30:11] - The case for TypeScript adoption.
[34:20] - TypeScript conversion strategies and solutions from Codecademy.
[39:43] - Josh’s transition to full-time open source developer.
[42:27] - Josh’s advice for aspiring full-time open source developers.
[45:10] - Josh’s experience speaking at conferences as a developer advocate.
[57:50] - Josh’s closing remarks.

Quotes

[29:33] - “You have to iterate in public and learn from real world usage in order to get things right.” ~ Josh Goldberg

[31:14] - “If you’re trying to convince people to switch to TypeScript, you convince them based on the pain points they have and how TypeScript fits into them.” ~ Josh Goldberg

[42:27] - “There are a lot of people who are interested in going full-time open source. It’s a great place to be, but I wouldn’t recommend going into this without a lot of prior work. To build up your network, to get a full-time job in a development team that gives you mentorship and management that helps you grow that way so that you are well equipped to go into open source first.” ~ Josh Goldberg

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Bringing Designers and Developers Together with Pablo Ruiz-Múzquiz Jan 05, 2023

Show notes

Working together in a professional environment is easier said than done, especially when teams have conflicting workflows, priorities, and skill sets. Designers are all too familiar with having their work feel like a second priority to developers. Is there a way that designers and developers can collaborate successfully without sacrificing their individual needs?

Enter Penpot, the first Open Source design and prototyping platform for cross-domain teams. Penpot was developed by Pablo Ruiz-Múzquiz, CEO and Co-Founder of Kaleidos, Taiga and Penpot, to bring collaboration between designers and developers to the next level. Penpot inspires designers to become comfortable using open source and allows developers to become excited about the design process.

In this episode, Pablo talks to Chuck and Robbie about how Penpot differs from its primary competitor, Figma, and why designers and developers love their platform.

Key Takeaways

[00:36] - An intro to Pablo Ruiz-Múzquiz.
[02:38] - A whiskey review - Willet Family Estate Bottled Rye.
[05:31] - Chuck, Robbie, and Pablo’s whiskey ranking.
[07:47] - What Penpot is and how it compares to Figma.
[15:50] - Adobe’s defensive acquisition of Figma.
[24:54] - Why Pablo is excited about Penpot.
[29:37] - How Penpot brings together designers and developers.
[34:30] - Two top priority feature requests for Penpot.
[39:23] - Use cases for Penpot.
[44:31] - Why Pablo got expelled.
[48:34] - Pablo’s diverse hobbies - from mead brewing to archery.

Quotes

[26:27] - “We don’t just want to accelerate design into code, but also coding to design.” ~ Pablo Ruiz-Múzquiz

[31:18] - “First, we need to make sure that designers really appreciate what we’re doing. Whenever they first encounter Penpot, they see it, they feel it. It’s meant for them. Not as a gift from engineers.” ~ Pablo Ruiz-Múzquiz

[36:54] - “Design is more important than ever. Design is eating software faster than software is eating the world. Software is a key differentiator, a key element in the critical palette of innovation. Design is key, and yet it remains outside the software building pipeline.” ~ Pablo Ruiz-Múzquiz

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Advent of Whiskey: Holiday Treats, Final Holiday Trivia, and Quantum Computing Dec 24, 2022

Show notes

It’s the Advent of Whiskey finale, and Chuck and Robbie keep it casual with more holiday treats, trivia, and traditions. But it wouldn’t be Whiskey Web and Whatnot without a little tech. Physicists are doing mindbending things with tech and in case you didn’t already know it, computers can create wormholes now.
In this episode, Chuck and Robbie talk about their favorite holiday treats, holiday trivia, and creating wormholes using quantum computers.

Key Takeaways

[01:06] - Number 22 Whiskey - Keeper’s Heart Irish + America Whiskey.
[05:49] - Number 23 Whiskey - Compass Box Oak Cross Blended Malt Scotch.
[09:20] - Number 24 Whiskey - Knappogue Castle 12-Year-Old Bourbon Cask Matured Whisky.
[15:26] - Chuck and Robbie’s favorite holiday treats.
[18:45] - Holiday Trivia.
[21:10] - The quantum computer that mimics real-world physics.

Quotes

[12:28] - “There’s something special about a 12-year-old single malt whiskey. It’s like a premium steak house that ages their wagyu rib eye for six weeks.” ~ Chuck Carpenter

[25:01] - “I think it would be really cool to have an automated Taco Bell. You go up and press a button, and it gives you the food, and no one had to do anything.” ~ Robbie Wagner

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Advent of Whiskey: Holiday Trivia Continued and Web Developer Tools Dec 23, 2022

Show notes

Every developer has a tech stack that they swear by. The perfect stack is usually a combination of convenience and productivity.

Robbie released a blog on Ship Shape featuring “Top 5 Web Developer Tools for 2023”. The list features a browser that’s perfect for work and personal use, two terminals, a collaborative clutter-free code editor, and a simplified version of Git. Even if you have old favorites, it can’t hurt to switch them up and test out some of the new tools powering the developer community. They’re usually faster and a lot easier than old-school tools.

In this episode, Chuck and Robbie continue to talk about holiday trivia and the top five best web developer tools mentioned in the latest Ship Shape blog post.

Key Takeaways

[00:54] - Number 20 Whiskey - Starward Nova Single Malt Whisky.
[04:32] - Number 21 Whiskey - Yellow Rose Distilling Outlaw Bourbon Whiskey.
[07:17] - Holiday Trivia.
[11:39] - Top five web developer tools.

Quotes

[19:35] - “You kinda get comfortable with your tools and set in your ways. I hardly ever changed my tools, and I want to be better about just trying other stuff.” ~ Robbie Wagner

[22:32] - “ I feel like VS Code is busy. It’s really busy.” ~ Chuck Carpenter

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Advent of Whiskey: More Holiday Trivia and Tech Interviews Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

Robbie and Chuck think the process is rigged. Memorizing algorithms and solving problems in 30 minutes isn’t good enough to judge someone’s capabilities and decide whether they can be trusted for a job.

Many great developers crack under the pressure of interviews but that doesn’t mean they’re not good at what they do. The interview process is just a formality to verify someone’s identity, it shouldn’t be used to drill developers and set them up for failure. Companies are better off looking at a developer’s open-source and public projects to see what they have to offer.

In this episode, Chuck and Robbie talk about Holiday Trivia and the major downside with algorithms in tech interviews.

Key Takeaways

[00:37] - Number 17 Whiskey: Writer’s Tears Copper Pot Irish Whiskey.
[06:40] - Number 18 Whiskey: Lawes San Luis Valley Straight Rye.
[10:44] - Number 19 Whiskey: Kurayoshi Pure Malt Whiskey.
[13:54] - Holiday Trivia.
[22:45] - Fixing a broken interview system.

Quotes

[18:44] - “I’m a passenger on this journey, and I want to have experiences in that journey.” ~ Chuck Carpenter

[26:28] - “You’re a JavaScript developer. You’re a react developer. You’re a whatever. Those paradigms are completely made up in every single company.” ~ Chuck Carpenter

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Advent of Whiskey: Holiday Trivia, Food History, and YAML Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

Is YAML a programming language? According to Robbie and Chuck, it’s not. And even though you could code in YAML and add functions to it, doesn’t mean you should. Some things are better left uncomplicated.

YAML is a data structuring format, and that’s what it’s good at. While some might disagree, Chuck and Robbie believe functions are one of the key elements of programming languages and YAML doesn’t have that baked in. If you’re looking for functions, it’s better to stick to a programming language that has what you need.

In this episode, Chuck and Robbie talk about holiday trivia, the history behind Pearl Milling Company’s rebrand, and the pros and cons of coding in YAML.

Key Takeaways

[01:11] - Number 15 Whiskey - Blackened Flagship.
[04:47] - Number 16 Whiskey - Amrut Indian Single Malt Whiskey.
[08:27] - The story of the Pearl Milling Company.
[13:07] - Holiday Trivia.
[17:40] - Best use case for YAML.

Quotes

[18:45] - “You think of CSV as a data structuring format, I think of JSON as a more data structuring format, and I think of YAML as an even more robust, diverse data structure format.” ~ Chuck Carpenter

[20:07] - “Programming languages are good at executing things, and I would think that YAML is not a programming language in the classic sense.” ~ Robbie Wagner

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Advent of Whiskey: Framework Predictions, Voting for WWW on State of JS, and Football Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

It’s anyone’s guess what the future of front-end frameworks will hold but the developer community on Twitter has its own predictions. Meanwhile, usage numbers for Javascript frameworks are showing that Vue and Next are catching up to React. Is the hype around React plateauing, or is that wishful thinking?

Whether you call them meta frameworks, backend frameworks, or rendering frameworks, they seem to be sparking excitement in the Javascript community. Remix, Vercel, Next JS, and Nuxt are the ones to watch. But out of all the front-end frameworks, Robbie believes Svelte will come out on top because it has the best balance of vanilla Javascript with added features.

In this episode, Chuck and Robbie talk about frameworks steering the future of front-end development, what’s happening in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and the structure of college football.

Key Takeaways

[01:25] - Number 13 Whiskey: Noble Oak - Double Oak Rye Whiskey.
[04:26] - Number 14 Whiskey: Akashi Japanese Blended Whiskey.
[08:12] - Holiday Trivia.
[14:05] - Predictions in the front-end frameworks space.
[20:48] - 2022 World Cup standings and college football.

Quotes

[16:02] - “I think the things that are exciting are rendering frameworks. Which is like Next.js and Nuxt.” ~ Robbie Wagner

[19:42] - “The things that get the hype and feel quote-unquote sexy are different than the things that might actually be used to build 50% or more of apps in the real world.” ~ Robbie Wagner

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Advent of Whiskey: Testing the Hype of ChatGPT, GitLab, and Holiday Trivia Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

Popularity doesn’t equal quality. We’ve seen it with React and the latest technology to fall victim to this is OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT.

ChatGPT is trending on Twitter and is talked about as one of the great innovations of this era. But when Chuck and Robbie put it to the test to recommend podcast topics, it doesn’t present the most imaginative ideas. Despite the hype, the tech is not all-knowing – it is only as smart as the people who make it. On the other hand, GitLab has the opposite problem. The platform has all the components for success, but it still isn’t heavily adopted in the open-source community.

In this episode, Chuck and Robbie talk about their experience using ChatGPT to generate topics for the podcast, what’s holding back GitLab in the open-source community, and their favorite holiday trivia.

Key Takeaways