HTML All The Things - Web Development, AI, and Developer Careers

Modern web development feels easier than ever — but only on the surface. In this episode, Matt and Mike break down which parts of web dev have truly become simple thanks to frameworks, AI scaffolding, and one-click hosting… and which parts remain tough as ever. From complex third-party integrations and security concerns to scaling, debugging, and design systems, they explore the deeper challenges that still require human creativity and technical judgment.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/is-web-development-too-easy-now

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In this edition of the Web News, Matt dives into a thought he had while out on the golf course: are we ever going to have tech that’s so seamless it doesn’t pull us out of the moment? We’ll talk about the current state of ‘analog’ versus ‘digital’ experiences, why even the most advanced wearables can’t fully disappear into the background yet, and what it might take to reach a future where technology is truly invisible but still helpful.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/phones-golf-and-the-problem-of-always-being-connected

Learning HTML is the first step to building websites, but it can feel overwhelming when you’re starting from scratch. In this crash course, Matt and Mike break down the absolute basics of HTML in a way that’s clear, practical, and beginner-friendly. You’ll learn what HTML is, how tags work, why structure matters, and how semantic HTML makes your sites more accessible and SEO-ready. We’ll also cover how search engines use your HTML, why clean code helps ranking, and what to focus on before diving into CSS and beyond. Whether you’re brand new to coding or brushing up on fundamentals, this episode will give you the foundation you need to start building the web.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/html-crash-course-for-absolute-beginners

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When beginners try to learn coding, jargon-heavy tutorials can leave them feeling confused and discouraged. In this Web News episode, Matt and Mike discuss the importance of using accessible language when writing tutorials, landing pages, and guides. Developers don’t need to explain every detail, but making your explanations approachable helps more people learn faster and feel more confident.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/making-developer-tutorials-beginner-friendly

In this episode of the HTML All The Things Podcast, Matt explores his new development workflow centered around spec-driven development. With AI tools and coding agents becoming more powerful, the key to success isn’t just in writing code—it’s in writing clear, detailed specs first. Matt breaks down what spec-driven development is, why it works so well with large language models, and how it can transform the way developers approach projects. From lowering hallucinations and compressing prompts to enabling parallelization and automated testing, you’ll learn how structured specs can unlock more efficient, accurate development. Matt also shares real-world examples, including a spec for a dark mode toggle, and outlines how specs evolve into implementation docs for step-by-step coding.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/my-new-development-workflow-spec-driven-development

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In this episode of Web News, Matt and Mike dive into two massive worm attacks that recently hit npm, targeting packages used in millions of projects. While the attackers aimed to steal crypto wallet keys, the actual damage was small—but the implications are enormous. We break down how these man-in-the-middle attacks worked, why shadow dependencies are such a big risk, and what tools like pnpm’s minimum release age can do to help. We also discuss whether AI might allow developers to skip quick one-time npm packages entirely, reducing dependency sprawl and potential vulnerabilities.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/the-shai-hulud-worm-attack-npm-hack

In this episode, Matt sits down with developer and solutions architect Nathaniel Rogers to discuss the challenges of working with non-tech-savvy founders, the differences between startup, product-based, service-based, and app-based business models, and how to guide entrepreneurs through both technical and business hurdles. Nathaniel shares his experiences helping clients with everything from basic tools like Calendly to full-scale applications, and dives deep into the fascinating trend of vibe coding—where non-technical people build scrappy solutions that eventually need professional polish. Together they explore what vibe coding means for the industry’s future and how developers can bridge the gap between ideas and reliable execution.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/fixing-vibe-coded-apps-w-nathaniel-rogers

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In this episode of the HTML All The Things Podcast, Matt and Mike explore how freelancers can handle diverse client requests with confidence. From quick initial calls and clarifying client goals to managing knowledge gaps and knowing when to outsource, they share strategies for simplifying complex requests, building trusted networks, and keeping communication transparent.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/handling-the-variety-of-client-requests-as-a-freelancer

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Uptime ideals vs reality in the AI era. A recent post from Theo (t3.gg) calling out sub-90% uptime on a major AI service reignites the question: how seriously should we treat downtime for non-critical apps? In this episode Matt and Mike dig into SLAs, the real cost of monitoring and rapid support, why “always-on” isn’t free, and whether 24/7 expectations turn developers into shift workers instead of on-call responders.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/does-downtime-matter

In this episode of HTML All The Things, Mike sits down with Jesse Hall, Staff Developer Advocate at MongoDB and creator of the popular codeSTACKr platform. Jesse shares his journey from working at Geek Squad to becoming a self-taught developer, educator, and now an advocate at one of the biggest players in the database space.

They discuss the principles that make technical concepts “click” for beginners, how to help teams move from relational-first thinking to designing flexible MongoDB schemas, and the pitfalls to avoid when working with document databases. The conversation also dives into MongoDB’s role in the AI landscape, including Jesse’s “AI in Two Lines” approach and what it really takes to go from toy chatbots to robust agentic systems.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/from-geek-squad-to-mongodb-advocate-w-jesse-hall

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