Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

992: Migrating Legacy Code Just Got Easier

Wes and Scott talk about migrating large codebases with AI — how to plan framework and language moves, establish patterns, handle templating changes, test thoroughly, safely deploy, and more. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:46 Why migrate to a new language or framework? 05:09 How to approach a large code migration 08:47 Establishing patterns before using AI 10:35 Moving from pug to JSX 12:06 Building a detailed migration plan 15:18 Testing every part of the application 15:51 Brought to you by Sentry.io 16:58 Deploying and catching issues with Sentry 19:12 Converting express requests to web standard requests 19:34 Other codebases that could benefit from AI migrations 21:36 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs Sick Picks Scott: WisprFlow Wes: displayplacer Shameless Plugs Phases Podcast 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

991: Vite’s bet on Cloudflare (VOID Framework)

Vite just launched Void, a fullstack JavaScript framework and cloud platform that bundles together routing, SSR, auth, an ORM, and nearly everything you’d expect from a modern meta-framework — all built on top of Cloudflare’s infrastructure. Scott, Wes, and CJ dig into whether Void is the Rails moment JavaScript has been waiting for, or just shiny Cloudflare lock-in with a bow on it. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! The Announcement 00:27 Laravel or Rails for JavaScript? 01:38 What is this big announcement? 04:36 It’s just Vercel for Cloudflare? 07:09 Database options. 09:37 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 10:01 Type safety. 12:09 What about RPC? 15:41 Component Loaders over Page Loaders. 18:23 Baked in authentication via Better Auth. 22:57 Lock-in. Unapologetically Cloudflare Evan’s X Post. 24:55 Is it lock-in? 32:40 Self-Cloudflare your own Void apps? 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

990: Vite Is Taking Over (Vite+)

Wes, Scott, and CJ talk about Vite+, a unified JavaScript toolchain that combines linting, formatting, task running, monorepos, and more. They break down its evolution, open-source shift, performance gains, Node version management, and whether it can realistically replace today’s fragmented dev tooling. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 00:54 What Vite+ is and what’s changed since launch 03:43 Why the ecosystem needs Vite+ 06:41 What Vite+ actually does for your workflow 10:18 Built-in Node version management 12:32 Type-aware linting with tsgolint and oxc 15:27 Brought to you by Sentry.io 16:28 Should config live inside vite.config? 22:56 Monorepos and task running in Vite+ 26:28 Task caching and faster builds 29:01 Final thoughts and current limitations 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

989: State of JS 2025

Scott and Wes dig into the latest State of JS survey results, breaking down which JavaScript libraries, frameworks, and tools are rising, falling, or holding steady in the ever-shifting JS ecosystem. From front-end frameworks and meta-framework pain points to JavaScript runtimes, hosting services, and the growing role of AI tools in developer workflows, this one’s packed with takes, tier lists, and plenty of opinions. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 01:06 JavaScript Features, not overly interesting. 02:15 JavaScript Libraries popularity and usage over time. 07:52 Library Tier List. 10:55 Library Ratios Over Time. 13:09 Other Front-End Frameworks. 15:24 Meta-framework Ratios Over Time. 19:34 Meta-Framework Pain Points. 21:57 Backend Frameworks. npm Trends express-vs-hono. 25:14 LLM Stack Suggestions. 27:54 Brought to you by Sentry.io. 30:37 Testing Frameworks. 33:15 Libraries Other Tools. 37:20 Utilities. npm Trends biome-vs-oxlint 40:53 JavaScript Runtimes. 45:04 Hosting Services. 51:39 AI Tools. 54:16 AI Code Generation. 55:04 Awards. 01:00:19 Sick Picks & Shameless Plugs. Sick Picks Scott: Anker MagSafe Charger Stand Wes: Battery-powered Heat Gun Shameless Plugs Scott: Syntax on YouTube 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

988: Cloudflare’s Next.js Slop Fork

Wes and Scott talk with Steve Faulkner about vinext, a Vite-powered Next.js fork. They dive into AI coding workflows, agent browsers, code quality, and what modern dev tooling looks like in an AI-first world. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:01 Knowing how to use AI 02:31 The idea behind “slop fork” vinext How we rebuilt Next.js with AI in one week 06:27 How to approach a project like this Super Whisper 07:53 Using markdown as a planning and thinking tool 12:35 Steve’s OpenCode setup 14:31 What agent browsers are and how they work agent-browser 15:34 Where agent browsers fall short 19:02 Why agents work best with tight feedback loops 21:23 Dealing with poor code quality from AI 23:54 Brought to you by Sentry.io 24:19 Searching for a reliable AI workflow 25:54 What about security? 28:46 When it makes sense to port a framework vs switch 32:03 What an AI-first programming language might look like 33:16 TypeScript in an AI-driven workflow 35:36 Cloudflare and improving developer experience 38:10 Being excited and uneasy about where AI is heading 39:06 Which industries AI disrupts next 41:29 Sick picks + shameless plugs Sick Picks Steve: IWC Pilot’s Watch Mark XX Shameless Plugs Steve: vinext 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