localfirst.fm #24 – Ben Holmes: Astro, Simple Sync Engine & Warp
78 snips
May 6, 2025 In this dynamic conversation, Ben Holmes, a senior web developer and educator renowned for his engaging whiteboard videos, discusses the transformative potential of local-first software. He delves into the intricacies of building a simple sync engine and navigating the challenges of event synchronization in distributed systems. Ben also shares insights on harnessing client-side technologies, the evolution of terminal interactions with tools like Warp, and the importance of learning resources in the field. Tune in for his expert perspective on modern web development!
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
State Synchronization Challenge
- You can either store state fully on the server or fully on the client to avoid messy state synchronization.
- The middle ground of splitting state between client and server creates complex and error-prone synchronization challenges.
Distributed Systems Elephant
- Distributed systems are a core challenge in web apps but often overlooked by web developers.
- Trusting the server as a single source of truth simplifies architecture compared to trusting clients and distributed data.
Frustrations Pushed Local-First Build
- Ben was frustrated with loading spinners and offline warnings using Notion and wanted a faster, local-first note-taking app.
- He built a browser app running SQLite with vector search and local LLMs for fast, offline-capable AI-powered search.
