Software Snack Bites

#20 - Alex Mackenzie (Tapestry VC) & Ian Livingstone (Snyk) - Round Table Explaining New Technologies - Javascript Runtimes, Edge Compute, Observability, Encryption, LLMs & AI

Sep 13, 2023

Alex Mackenzie (Tapestry VC) and Ian Livingstone (Snyk) join in a fascinating round table discussion covering JavaScript runtimes, edge compute, observability, encryption, LLMs, and AI. They explore the benefits of adhering to web standards, machine learning in Python, secure enclaves, and the features of agents using LLMs. They also touch on determining the source of answers generated by models, indie gaming, open-source engines, and the future of browser gaming.

01:03:41

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Episode guests

Alex Mackenzie

Ian Livingstone

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

JavaScript runtimes like Bun and Dino offer improved performance and enhanced developer experience in the JavaScript ecosystem.

Next.js framework enables developers to efficiently build interactive and performant web applications with its support for server-side rendering and adherence to web standards.

Edge computing, made accessible by advancements in runtime and framework technologies, brings compute resources closer to the end user, reducing response times and improving user experience.

Deep dives

Overview of JavaScript Runtimes

JavaScript runtimes are software pieces that compile and execute JavaScript code within a specific environment, such as the browser or server. They enable the execution of JavaScript by going through a series of stages, ultimately allowing software to be executed. JavaScript runtimes, such as Bun and Dino, have gained popularity due to their adherence to web standards and inclusion of convenient utilities. For example, these runtimes allow developers to use the fetch API and come with built-in functionalities like code watching. These technologies represent an exciting development in the JavaScript ecosystem, offering improved performance, adherence to web standards, and enhanced developer experience.

Introduction

2min

JavaScript Runtimes and Web Standards

26min

Machine Learning in Python and Improving Observability with eBPF and Open Telemetry

8min

Secure Enclaves and Trust in Data Transmission

9min

Understanding the Features and Capabilities of Agents using LLMs

5min

Determining the Source of Answers Generated by Models

9min

Exploring Indie Gaming, Open-Source Engines, and the Future of Browser Gaming

3min

This podcast episode is a new format where I introduce everyone to my go-to brain trust to chat new technologies with. This episode can be consumed end to end or you can jump to specific categories that particularly interest you (timestamped below).

Alex Mackenzie is a Partner at Tapestry VC and Ian Livingstone is a Team Lead at Snyk. In this day and age, there’s a new technology that seems to capture the interest of the ecosystem (particular tech Twitter) every month. When I need to dive into these technologies or have them explained, I go to Alex & Ian for help understanding why they are interesting. In this episode, we cover a variety of areas and purposefully go deep enough to understand why they’re interesting but not as deep as we could’ve gone to cover the most surface area.

We cover the following areas: Javascript Runtimes & Frameworks (Next.js, Bun, Deno), Edge Computing, Emerging Programming Languages (Zig, Typescript), Observability (Open Telemetry, eBPF), Encryption (Secure Enclaves, Multi-Party Computation), & AI (LLMs, Agents, Embeddings, WebGPU).

Where to Find Alex:

* Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex__mackenzie

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-mackenzie-6aa80ab4/

* Blog: Why Now

Where to Find Ian:

* Twitter: https://twitter.com/ianlivingstone

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irlivingstone/

* Podcast: Yet Another Infra Deep Dive

Where to Find Shomik:

* Twitter: https://twitter.com/shomikghosh21

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shomik-ghosh-a5a71319/

* Software Snack Bites Newsletter: https://www.shomik.substack.com