Front-End Fire

Discover the rise of infrastructure management with Alchemy, enabling JavaScript-based solutions for developers. Delve into the risks associated with 'ubertools' in AI and coding, alongside the latest innovations in Next.js 15.5. A recent hacking incident highlights the importance of AI security. Plus, enjoy captivating tales of art heists and the thrill of gaming, blending cultural curiosities with tech discussions. Explore how security and SEO are evolving with AI advancements, making it a must-listen for tech enthusiasts!

Discover the latest in TanStack DevTools, where developers can streamline their tools for a more cohesive experience. Explore the rising popularity of CSS-in-JS with Panda CSS and the intriguing findings from the State of CSS survey. Dive into the drama of AI startup Perplexity's outrageous bid for Chrome, amidst the antics of Google Gemini. Enjoy a heartfelt reflection on the adventurous atmosphere of sports events and captivating podcast recommendations, plus the benefits of VPNs for travelers.

Dive into the drama as Cloudflare and Perplexity clash over AI content scraping ethics. Discover the exciting launch of Vercel's AI SDK version 5 and the innovative TanStack DB for seamless state management in web apps. The introduction of GPT-5 brings deeper reasoning to AI interactions, raising caution about its use in health-related queries. Plus, hear about concerning trends in corporate culture affecting employee well-being, and enjoy some lighthearted tales of 3D printing adventures!

There’s a new utility library in town called es-toolkit, and it’s gunning for Lodash. 2-3x faster, 97% smaller, full TypeScript support, and using modern JavaScript APIs, es-toolkit’s just added a “Lodash compatibility layer” to ensure an identical API and 100% Lodash compatibility.oRPC is the newest wrinkle in the Remote Procedural Call (RPC) world, and it promotes easy to build APIs that are end-to-end type-safe and adhere to OpenAPI standards. Stack Overflow’s 15th developer survey results are in, and the learnings are... interesting. Some of the takeaways are expected (React’s still very popular, lots of devs have at least tried AI tools), but some seem willfully wrong (SO claims it’s a new resource for devs that need to solve AI-related issues, but 43% of respondents said they rarely or never visit the site anymore). Either way, SO’s use has declined dramatically over the last few years due to the rise of AI, and we’ll see how much longer it can hang on as a vital part of the developer ecosystem.Timestamps:0:57 - es-toolkit update7:46 - oRPC17:13 - Stack Overflow Developer Survey31:43 - Bolt hackathon winners34:11 - Microsoft Edge Copilot Mode38:46 - State of HTML survey39:30 - What’s making us happyLinks:Paige - es-toolkit is coming for LodashJack - oRPCTJ - Stack Overflow 2025 survey resultsBolt hackathon winnersMicrosoft Edge Copilot ModeState of HTML surveyPaige - Monopoly Deal card gameJack - Gridfinity 3D printed grid storage systemTJ - NY Times Games AppThanks as always to our sponsor, the Blue Collar Coder channel on YouTube. You can join us in our Discord channel, explore our website and reach us via email, or talk to us on X, Bluesky, or YouTube.Front-end Fire websiteBlue Collar Coder on YouTubeBlue Collar Coder on DiscordReach out via emailTweet at us on X @front_end_fireFollow us on Bluesky @front-end-fire.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @Front-EndFirePodcast

GitHub is advocating for a European Union Sovereign Tech Fund to help pay the open source software developers building and maintaining software relied upon by economies and societies just like any other necessary infrastructure like roads and bridges.Apple gets called out by the Open Web Advocacy group saying its technical rules and restrictions are blocking other browser vendors from successfully offering their own search engines to iOS users in the EU.Last episode we talked about Amazon’s new AI coding editor Kiro, and this week, we learned about a feature called Agent Hooks which let users write automation tools that agents can use within the IDE to do predefined actions like maintaining code quality, checking for security vulnerabilities, standardizing and enforcing team processes, and more. Think of it like pre-commit hooks but with AI behind them!Timestamps:0:51 - GitHub is advocating for an EU tech fund9:21 - An update on non-WebKit browsers on iOS15:30 - Kiro’s agent hooks26:28 - Kilo Code28:35 - eslint-config-prettier got hacked33:15 - @media(hover: hover)36:05 - What’s making us happyLinks:Paige - GitHub is advocating for an EU Sovereign Tech FundJack - Kiro’s Agent HooksTJ - An update on non-WebKit browsers on iOSKilo Code - open source AI agent VS Code extension (not to be confused with the Kiro fork)Popular npm package eslint-config-prettier got hacked@media(hover:hover)Paige - Relax Meditation appJack - Physical books like the Annihilation seriesTJ - Apple Watch series 10Thanks as always to our sponsor, the Blue Collar Coder channel on YouTube. You can join us in our Discord channel, explore our website and reach us via email, or talk to us on X, Bluesky, or YouTube.Front-end Fire websiteBlue Collar Coder on YouTubeBlue Collar Coder on DiscordReach out via emailTweet at us on X @front_end_fireFollow us on Bluesky @front-end-fire.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @Front-EndFirePodcast

Windsurf finds itself at the center of a dramatic soap opera involving a halted billion-dollar acquisition by OpenAI and a new direction under Google. The hosts dive into Next.js 15.4, featuring exciting updates that enhance AI bug fixes. They explore the latest design trends with Figma’s glass effect and celebrate the joy of coffee with the Ninja single-serve maker. The discussion also touches on young adult literature clichés, highlighting twists that keep readers engaged, while sharing amusing anecdotes about fantasy novels and shuffleboard fun.

Tech companies continue the acquisition spree of the summer when Vercel announces it’s hired the creators of NuxtLabs, the folks who build metaframework Nuxt and server runtime Nitro.Figma returns to the newscycle with the introduction of its Dev Mode MCP server. This server allows agentic coding tools to pull in design context directly from Figma designs. Think: getting code, image, or variable context for a specific design selection or even porting over Figma designs directly into a code base for use.The AI browser race heats up as both OpenAI and Perplexity make news with announcements and early access for their own AI-powered web browsers. Details are limited but both companies are putting their AI search engines front and center to try and steal some Google Chrome’s market share.In this week’s Lightning News, there’s a new framework for building and shipping MCP applications called Xmcp. Focused on developer experience, Xmcp claims you can bootstrap an MCP server from scratch or plug it into an existing Next.js or Express app with one simple command. Finally, the Fire Starters section is back this week with the debut of CSS conditional if() statements in Chrome v137. Out of the box, if() works with style(), media(), and support() queries, and unlocks things like state-based styling with very straightforward syntax that uses a series of condition-value pairs, and even allows for an else statement at the end.Timestamps:1:13 - Vercel acquires NuxtLabs5:54 - Figma releases an MCP Server13:41 - OpenAI and Perplexity announce browsers26:08 - Xmcp framework29:06 - CSS conditions with if()33:05 - What’s making us happyLinks:Paige - NuxtLabs joins VercelJack - Figma Dev Mode MCP server TJ - Upcoming web browsers from OpenAI and Perplexity. Xmcp framework for building MCP applicationsCSS conditionals with if() statementsPaige - Somebody Feed Phil TV seriesTJ - MurderbotThanks as always to our sponsor, the Blue Collar Coder channel on YouTube. You can join us in our Discord channel, explore our website and reach us via email, or talk to us on X, Bluesky, or YouTube.Front-end Fire websiteBlue Collar Coder on YouTubeBlue Collar Coder on DiscordReach out via emailTweet at us on X @front_end_fireFollow us on Bluesky @front-end-fire.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @Front-EndFirePodcast

Discover the latest from Vercel, including their innovative hosting platform and bot management tools. Cloudflare celebrates 'Content Independence Day,' addressing challenges for content creators in the AI era. Neon Launchpad introduces a simplified database solution, while Figma takes steps toward an IPO. Enjoy a humorous take on AI behavior as Claude runs a vending machine, leading to quirky mishaps. Plus, get excited for the return of 'Squid Game' and the cultural reflections on episodic content in the entertainment landscape.

The field of AI coding agent CLIs is crowded and getting more so by the day, and our co-host Jack has tried them all so you don’t have to. The big four are: OpenAI’s Codex, Anthropic’s Claude Code, Google’s Gemini Code, and Amazon Q, along with some lesser known CLIs like AmpCode, OpenCode, and (the already shut down) Anon Kode. After trying everything, Jack says Anthropic’s Sonnet models and Claude Code are still the best.Google’s quietly been working on new LLM-powered web APIs that rely on Google’s Gemini Nano model to power browser features like language detection and translation, and writing and proofreading, and Mozilla is concerned devs will create apps based on Gemini’s behavior.Less than two months after Figma’s big Config conference, it shared it's acquired OS headless CMS Payload. Continuing the effort to make Figma a central hub for digital product creation, Figma’s adding a CMS to the mix so marketers and designers can more easily update website content as needed.Timestamps:1:01 - Jack’s AI tool roundup10:34 - Mozilla’s concerns about Google building AI into Chrome19:16 - Figma buys Payload24:22 - Firefox gets vertical tabs27:15 - Jack’s macOS 26 experiment goes wrong30:36 - Anthropic destroys millions of print books38:06 - What’s making us happyLinks:Paige - Figma buys CMS PayloadJack - State of the AI CLIs: Codex, OpenCode, AmpCode, Gemini Code, Claude Code, Amazon QTJ - Mozilla’s concerns about Google building AI into ChromeLightning News:Firefox v140Jack's MacOS 26 upgrade gone wrongAnthropic destroyed millions of print books to build its AI modelsWhat Makes Us Happy this Week:Paige - Rock Paper Scissors novelJack - Tamolitch Falls and Final Destination movie seriesTJ - Watkins Glen State ParkThanks as always to our sponsor, the Blue Collar Coder channel on YouTube. You can join us in our Discord channel, explore our website and reach us via email, or talk to us on X, Bluesky, or YouTube.Front-end Fire websiteBlue Collar Coder on YouTubeBlue Collar Coder on DiscordReach out via emailTweet at us on X @front_end_fireFollow us on Bluesky @front-end-fire.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @Front-EndFirePodcast

In this episode:Linting is getting a whole lot faster with OxlintYour browser is becoming part of your wellness routineAnd Copilot is getting more agentic featuresChapter Markers:1:05 - Oxlint7:05 - Opera Air11:24 - GitHub Copilot coding agent18:45 - More Remix v3 updates23:56 - What makes us happyLinks:Paige - void0's Oxlint 1.0Jack - Wellness stuff in Opera’s Air BrowserTJ - GitHub Copilot coding agent in public previewLightning News:Remix v3 goes further off the rails, names itself “spiritual successor to the web”What Makes Us Happy this Week:Paige - ALookBackInHistory Instagram accountJack - Spiritfarer gameTJ - Formula 1: Drive to Survive TV seriesThanks as always to our sponsor, the Blue Collar Coder channel on YouTube. You can join us in our Discord channel, explore our website and reach us via email, or talk to us on X, Bluesky, or YouTube.Front-end Fire websiteBlue Collar Coder on YouTubeBlue Collar Coder on DiscordReach out via emailTweet at us on X @front_end_fireFollow us on Bluesky @front-end-fire.comSubscribe to our YouTube channel @Front-EndFirePodcast