Show Notes
In this potluck episode of Syntax, Wes and Scott answer your questions about LLM usage-based pricing, security risks from malicious code in interviews, staying current in a fast-moving dev landscape, a new CSS linter, managing Node environments and tooling without losing your mind, and more!
Show Notes
00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
01:17 Copilot’s new usage-based pricing and the end of cheap AI
Model multipliers for annual Copilot Pro and Copilot Pro+ subscribers
08:53 Why Syntax dropped clever ad transitions
10:33 Debugging issues on the Syntax website with Sentry
12:51 Brought to you by Sentry.io
13:01 Getting hacked through a fake recruiter and malicious repos
Adib Hanna’s hacking story
scammer.md
DeskPad
17:57 How to catch up after stepping away from dev
25:10 React components vs native browser APIs
32:41 New CSS linting tools and Project Wallace updates
csskit
36:06 How to interview developers in the age of AI
41:21 Managing Node, package managers, and dev environments
46:59 Sick picks + shameless plugs
Sick Picks
Scott:
ZEISS Lens Care
KeyboardCleanTool
Wes: Amaran Halo 100x
Shameless Plugs
Syntax YouTube Channel
Hit us up on Socials!
Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads
Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads
More from Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats
Scott and Wes talk with Adam Jacob about software factories: what they actually are, why they’re unique to each team, and how to build trust in agent-generated code. They dig into Swamp Club, black box testing, domain driven design, adversarial review for accessibility, and whether unit tests still earn their keep.
Deno is shutting down and the team is heading to Cloudflare — Scott, Wes, and CJ break down what that means for the runtime, JSR, and workerd. Plus OpenCode 2.0 on durable objects, TanStack Start 1.0, SubQ Snap, Gemini 4 Argon, and Wes’s accidental $50 photo frame movement.
Someone just clean-room ported seven Adobe apps to Rust, and Wes is shocked at how good it is. Scott and Wes break down what it gets right, what’s still missing, and why copying software is easy but inventing what comes next is the hard part.
Scott, Wes, and CJ break down the latest Pi updates, including durable long-running agents, Codemode, and MCP support, then debate whether pull requests are dead in favor of issues. Plus Supabase picks up Turso, Screen Studio 4 drops, JavaScript Composites bring value-based equality, and a stack of new AI models from Google, OpenAI, Cloudflare, and more.
Scott and Wes answer listener questions about what replaced blogging, what to do while your AI agent works, and who should pay for token costs. They also cover keeping agents from going off the rails, getting your team excited about AI, and staying motivated when AI takes the fun out of coding.