logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2020
51m 31s

Potluck - Libraries vs Frameworks × Fire...

Wes Bos & Scott Tolinski - Full Stack Javascript Web Developers
About this episode

It’s another potluck! In this episode, Scott and Wes answer your questions about libraries vs frameworks, Firefox, who would win a thumb war, and more!

Prismic - Sponsor

Prismic is a Headless CMS that makes it easy to build website pages as a set of components. Break pages into sections of components using React, Vue, or whatever you like. Make corresponding Slices in Prismic. Start building pages dynamically in minutes. Get started at prismic.io/syntax.

Freshbooks - Sponsor

Get a 30 day free trial of Freshbooks at freshbooks.com/syntax and put SYNTAX in the “How did you hear about us?” section.

Show Notes

01:37 - Q: Why does React bill itself as a library instead of a framework?

03:14 - Q: Are y’all still using Firefox now that it has been six months?

06:30 - Q: Is it possible to do a hasty treat regarding the Brave browser? Would love to hear your opinion on the tech, view on the approach and why we could need another browser in 2020. Peace!

09:34 - Q: Who would win in a thumb war, Wes or Scott?

10:56 - Q: What are your thoughts on XState and state machines for managing state in apps? I’ve been super interested in trying to use it, eager to hear what you both think. Also, wondering if you’d have any recommendations on how to use it with Apollo, whether to use XState’s internal context to store app state, or use the Apollo cache.

14:53 - Q: Should I start a new project with jQuery or React?

17:21 - Q: I’m a young teen (<16) with a passion for all things web dev. However, without being able to legally have a job, I’m unable to make any money and am therefore running on a $50 Raspberry Pi and a 10+ year old monitor. As much as I love my Pi, just running npm install can be agonizing sometimes, not to mention the amount of space node_modules take up on a device with 16GB of storage! So basically, any pointers on getting income (and practice!) in the web development field when your under 16? And just in general, what advice do you have to young teen learning to code? Thanks in advance! P.S. You know you’ve got something going when a teenaged boy would rather listen to your podcast than watch Star Wars or Marvel with his friends! ;) So keep up the amazing work.

22:12 - Q: Is it worth my time to learn design patterns in JavaScript?

24:28 - Q: I have a question regarding Figma design to HTML/CSS conversion. When translating the design into code, do you keep the font-size, padding, height of images the same as defined in design or do you take something different? Let’s suppose top nav bar is 115px, then do you make it the same as well, or something else?

29:03 - Q: You both are great at technical communication — how do you get better at technical communication when self-learning?

33:06 - Q: What tools (or other methods) do y’all use to manage spinning up new projects with all the assorted directory structures, tools, and configs, you prefer? For example, when I start a new project, these days I like TS, Prettier, ESLint, and want those to play nicely together. I find I’m constantly copying files from one project to the other but haven’t found a good abstraction that allows me to setup a new project with the assorted files. Bonus points for a solution that can keep shared configs and deps up to date.

36:10 - Q: I am 26 years old and working a full-time job. I am currently looking at the possibility between work and spending time with my partner. I get maybe an hour a week (maybe two) to focus on learning Javascript. I feel like it is taking me literally forever to get anywhere, and when I do learn something, there is always a better way of doing it! And then when I do sit down and get the time I just feel like I have no direction. Your podcast has been giving me small boosts of motivation, so thanks for that. But is 26 too old to make a move into development?

39:39 - Q: How do you step up a web development project to an enterprise-level? There are so many simple tutorials and quick wins all over the internet, but how do you get more knowledge about bigger enterprise-ready technical stuff. E.g. How to organize a Vue app with >60 different pages? How do you organize the REST-ful API? How do you resolve dependencies between API endpoint 1 and API endpoint 2? How do you share information between multiple components in VUE-State-Management?

42:44 - Q: I’ve done Wes’ NextJS course and he uses Styled Components instead of Next’s own styled-jsx. What are your opinions on styled-jsx, and why you do (or do not) use it?

Links

××× SIIIIICK ××× PIIIICKS ×××

Shameless Plugs

Tweet us your tasty treats!

Up next
Oct 8
944: Is Coinbase Really Writing Half Their Code With AI?
Wes and Scott talk with Kyle Cesmat about how Coinbase is writing nearly half its code with AI—while keeping quality and security front and center. They dig into tools like Cursor and Claude Code, agent-driven workflows, code review challenges, and how AI is reshaping developer p ... Show More
49m 6s
Oct 6
943: Modern React with Ricky Hanlon (React Core Dev)
Scott and Wes sit down with Ricky Hanlon from the React core team at Facebook to dive into the latest features and APIs shaping modern React development. From transitions and Suspense to fetching strategies and future directions, this episode breaks down what’s next for React and ... Show More
38m 36s
Oct 1
942: Mental Health Q&A w/ Dr. Courtney Tolinski
Wes and Scott talk with Dr. Courtney Tolinski about supporting neurodivergent teammates, navigating workplace dynamics, and recognizing strengths beyond labels. They explore ADHD diagnosis and treatment, productivity mindsets, burnout, AI in mental health, and practical routines ... Show More
57m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
What's new in CSS land
Una Kravets, developer advocate at Google & web platform ambassador, joins Amal & Nick to take them CSS to school as they start this podcast in CSS kindergarten and end it with a Level-Up CSS Diploma. (LUCD?) We explore all the amazing features which have recently landed in CSS — ... Show More
1h 14m
Apr 2022
The new version of React, great tools for learning CSS, and the double standard for female engineers
React 18 is the latest major version of React. Cassidy also provides an excellent summary of React history.Ceora is working on some CSS art (inspired by K-pop, natch) using CodePen.Cassidy explains why Tanya Reilly’s talk-turned-blog-post Being Glue, which Ceora shouted out in Ep ... Show More
38m 3s
Dec 2023
Leveling up technology
Join hosts Walt Cooley and Matti McBride as they dive into Cooley’s recent presentation “Level-Up” given at the Amelicor Herd and Feed Management Conference in this episode of the Progressive Dairy Podcast. Learn how to level up technology on your operation, champion an employee ... Show More
32m 25s
Jan 2024
Introducing On This Day in Working Class History: A new daily podcast from WCH
Introducing a brand-new daily podcast from the team at WCH. On This Day in Working Class History will be a brief reminder each morning of our collective struggles for a better world which have taken place on this date in history. Launching on 1 February on a trial basis, each epi ... Show More
2m 32s
Jun 2023
S14 Ep1: 5 Things You Need ASAP (College Edition)
This week, we are talking about college! Whether you are returning to college or heading off for the first time or you love someone in college, this episode is for you. Listen as Jennie shares the things you should prioritize first as you start your college experience and how to ... Show More
21m 47s
Jan 2024
How to build a role-playing video game in 24 hours
Now you know: The human body can serve as a resonance chamber for remote car keys, effectively extending their range.A hackathon team used GenAI can create a fully playable D&D-style game in just one day.Skybox AI from Blockade Labs allows users to generate 360° skybox experience ... Show More
14m 14s
Feb 2024
WeWork rework
WeWork, the co-working company founded by Adam Neumann, collapsed in bankruptcy last year. And since then, the commercial real estate market has only gotten worse. Which makes this a perfect time for value investors to swoop in. Today on the show, we try to figure out if WeWork w ... Show More
18m 50s