AI Summary
5 min readDoes Code Quality Matter Anymore?
The question sounds like a provocation, but it's one that developers are actually asking: if AI is reading and writing most of the code, do we still need to keep it well organized? Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski tackle this head-on, and their answer is a firm yes — but the reasoning has shifted. It's not just about human readability anymore. It's about what happens when AI tools have to navigate a codebase that has been allowed to rot.
Code Quality in the Age of AI
The argument that "AI will just update everything everywhere" is seductive but dangerous. Wes points out that when AI generates CSS, it often duplicates the same property — font size, line height — nine times across a file. Some developers shrug this off, saying the AI will update all nine places when something changes. But Wes pushes back: "Eventually these things are going to rot. It's not gonna update something in the right spot. Things are gonna change a little bit between the two."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Episode Intro & Question Tease** - Wes and Scott introduce a potluck episode covering second brain updates, code quality with AI, layout systems, and more.
- 2 (01:02) **Popover & Dialog for Navigation** - Alex asks if using popover/dialog for nav means going back to `display: none` for hamburger menus.
- 3 (03:40) **iOS Haptics & Vibrate API** - Scott shares that Vercel on iOS now uses the vibrate API for haptic feedback.
- 4 (05:48) **Does Code Quality Matter with AI?** - Krasmir asks if code organization is still important when AI reads/writes code.
- 5 (11:14) **Wes's Second Brain Update (Obsidian)** - Wes shares his progress on a note-taking system using Obsidian, QMD, and an OpenClaw bot.
- 6 (20:21) **Supporting Older Browsers & New CSS** - A listener asks about supporting older Safari versions while using new CSS features.
- 7 (28:26) **Reporting Bad Websites & Accessibility** - Ray Garza asks what to do when encountering a visually bad or inaccessible website.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
In this potluck episode, Wes and Scott answer your questions about popover navigation patterns, the Vibrate API on iOS, whether code quality still matters in the AI era, Wes’s evolving Obsidian second-brain setup, where to start with modern full-stack JavaScript, and more!
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 01:02 Using display none with popover and hamburger navigation
- 03:37 Vercel on iOS and experimenting with the Vibrate API
- 05:47 Does code quality still matter in the AI age?
- 11:08 Wes’ second brain update and Obsidian workflow
- 19:57 Brought to you by Sentry.io
- 20:21 Supporting older browsers and missing out on modern web features
- 23:32 iPad browsing quirks and dealing with outdated Safari
- 28:26 What to do when you encounter a badly built or inaccessible website
- 33:37 Is the Effect TypeScript library worth the learning curve?
- 37:04 Where to start with modern full-stack JavaScript
- 43:39 Are column grid frameworks still relevant with modern CSS?
- 49:54 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs
Sick Picks
- Scott: AVerMedia Video Capture Card
- Wes: Power Bar Extension Cord
Shameless Plugs
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