Runtime Rundown - JavaScript and Web Development

In this very special 100th episode we bring in seasoned manager and old friend Mike "Critter" Crittenden and ask him - "Should Managers Still Code?" . Critter is a senior manager at Github and managed both Joe and I at Way-bleep. Together we cover the changing landscape of technical teams, what makes managers really great, and where deep technical skills fit into the manager toolbox.

We get back into the swing of things with an informal chat mostly about the existential crises of no longer being frontend devs. We dive into topics like the current AI agent hype, how we don't know what articles to even read anymore (or if anyone reads articles anymore), and what to call ourselves now.

Another guest! In this episode, we cover Cap Watkins' "The Sliding Scale of Giving A F*ck" with designer Daniel Casey. This episode is all about a framework of how engineering and design can work together when everyone cares about the end product. It's a great listen for anyone wanting to learn how to have productive disagreements. Listen through to the end for some spicy AI takes... Daniel has been a principal designer at CVS, a senior director at Ticket Master, and is currently a principal designer at Proximity Lab. Check out his profile!

In this episode we cover "Locked doors, headaches, and intellectual need" by Max Kreminski. This article outlines the concept of problem-solution ordering issues and how they are the reason no one understands monads. We soon realize these problem-solution ordering issues are everywhere, and figuring them out is the key to true teaching. Here's the article Joe mentioned that does a way better job of explaining monads than he did: Functors, Applicatives, and Monads in Pictures . We decided to cover this article based on a wonderful user comment by @cebamps (gently) calling us out for our flippant take on functional programmers. Thank you so much for writing in!

We have another guest! This time it's Shea Belsky - host of Autistic Techie , former CTO of Mentra , and long time friend of the show. We dive into how TypeScript can empower neurodivergent engineers and explore ways we can all work together more effectively. Join us for a conversation that combines practical insights with heartfelt discussions about creating a more inclusive tech community.

In this special guest episode, we bring on the definitive best Bieber in the world. Aaron Bieber is a both seasoned technologist and excellent career coach. We talk about the art of listening, how we can apply coaching principles to every work life, and more. Also, Aaron does some live coaching magic and makes Evan break out in a cold sweat. If you want more of Aaron, or to book him as a coach (Evan did!) check him out here: Book coaching with Aaron Read Aaron's blog Listen to Aaron's podcast

In this episode we cover " Software development topics I've changed my mind on after 10 years in the industry " by Chris Kiehl. This is a fun one where we riff on things we still believe to be true, things we've changed our mind on, and opinions we've picked up over the years.

In this episode we cover " How To Write Complex Software " by Grant Slatton. If you've ever struggled wondering how to approach a big problem, this one's for you. We go over a mental framework of "top to bottom" engineering, how to maximize parallel efforts, and more. This is a spiritual successor to our "Speedrunning Projects" episode where we covered a much looser approach. Try them both out and get back to us!

We're back! After almost 3 months of paternity leave, Runtime Rundown is kicking off our 4th season with everyone's favorite topic - performance reviews. We're just getting back in the saddle, so this is a free-form episode without an article. We cover the pros and cons of peer reviews, tech incentive structures and more.

In this episode we cover "Why I'm skeptical of rewriting javascript tools in faster languages" by Nolan Lawson. This is an interesting intersection between tech problems and people problems. There's been a recent wave of venerable JS-based tools being re-written in Rust, Go, Zig, etc. They come out "faster", but are we better or worse off for it?

In this episode, we cover "Pair Programming" written by the inimitable Matt Hamlin . We talk about what pair programming is, why you might do it, and when you maybe shouldn't. In other news, Joe forgets how to intro the show and Evan drank too much coffee before recording.

In this episode we cover "The T Shaped Engineer" by Alex Kondov, and make a few references to Adam Savage's video How to Ask for a Job (Without Asking) . As usual we go off on many tangents and eventually circle back around to the article. Have an idea for an article we should cover? Head on over to https://runtimerundown.com/suggestions https://runtimerundown.com/suggestions and drop us a line!

In this episode we dive into another awesome article from Abi Noda, Using AI to encourage best practices in the code review process. This article covers a recent research paper released from Google outlining the performance, pitfalls, and process of their in-house AI code review bot. We talk about the role of AI in code reviews, our personal views on what code review is all about, and get existential on AI taking our jobs (again). Despite the AI title, this one is just as much about code review in general as it is about AI so if you're sick of AI content - there's still something here for you.

In this week's episode we cover "Using your own product is a superpower" on the PostHog engineering blog . Using your own software, AKA "dogfooding", is one of those topics thrown around by engineers all the way up to CEOS. We talk about what dogfooding looks like, why you would want to implement it (if you can), and some pitfalls of working it into your day-to-day.

In this follow-up to our Speed-running Projects episode, we talk about our ongoing effort to speed-run building a SaaS business from the ground up! We cover what we're building, how we approached it, and what we've learned along the way. We also dive into some of our technical choices and pivots.

Get ready for a knock-drown, drag-out brawl! Just kidding. Joe and I calmly debate the merits of Vim vs No Vim development and Joe nearly converts me.

In this special episode of Runtime Rundown, we tackle a bunch of listener questions from the one and only Matt H. He's been dropping wisdom-bombs all over our suggestion and episode pages and it was time we answered them all. We cover feature toggles, data-driven decisions, Shadcn (again), and working on side projects. If you want us to answer your questions, leave on our suggestions page and we will get to it!

In this episode we cover "Docs-as-code, a brief introduction" by Ezinne Anne Emilia. We talk about what "docs-as-code" means, why we love it, and how to get started. No matter how good at documentation you are, we can always use a refresher on best practices. This is it!

This week we read and discuss How to Build Anything Extremely Quickly by an author known only as dnbt777 on the Learn How to Learn blog. The premise is simple, and you probably learned it in high school: Write an outline. Write it recursively until the outline items are small enough that they can't have sub-items, then fill things in as quickly as possible starting at the smallest items. Don't perfect until done. If you liked this episode, leave a comment! If not or if you have an idea for an article for us to cover, drop us a suggestion ! Music by Hina

In this episode, we dive into "Why data-driven product decisions are hard (sometimes impossible)" by Andrew Chen. This piece leans heavily towards Product Management and is packed with valuable insights on leveraging data at various stages of company growth. Now, if you're an engineer thinking, "Where's the tech stuff? This is about Product Management!"—I hear you. But remember, being an engineer is about more than just one dimension. Also, if you hate it and want to suggest a new topic, drop us a suggestion !

Do you love two guys rambling while making semi-cogent points? We've got the perfect episode for you! Today we loosely cover "I'm a Good Engineer, but I Suck at Building Stuff" by Lionel Barrow. This is a super short article asking us all to focus more on building and less on bike shedding. We make some decent points, ramble a bit, and do some classic Cooper preaching on caring more about users.

In this episode we cover "How to talk about deadlines at work" by Wes Kao . This is is a super practical guide for two sides of the same coin - missing deadlines. We cover the perspective of IC's and how we can best communicate deadline misses, and we also cover the manager perspective on setting the right culture around deadlines. We've got scripts for you to use, tactical tips, and personal advice so make sure to listen to the end!

In this episode we use "Engineers Are Not A Commodity" by the Stay SaaSy blog to jump into a range of topics including Agile (and how we disagree on estimates), what good managers look like, and why you can't just swap us out like cogs in a machine. This is a bit rant-y, but packed with good information and hot takes!

In this episode, we cover the tc39 Signals standards proposal written by a powerhouse group of influential figures in the JavaScript community and key contributors from various popular frameworks. This is a short but sweet breakdown of what Signals are, what it might mean to the industry, and what we think about the tech and the proposal itself. Links: JS Party episode 305 with Daniel Ehrenberg

In this episode, we cover Getting Things Done In A Chaotic Environment by the Stay SaaSy blog. This is a practical guide on how to move fast and get things done using Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a metaphor. We cover 4 pitfalls to avoid when trying to get things checked off your list and add a bunch of tips from our experience fighting Shredder (AKA corporate bull$%^&).