February 2nd, 2026 × #WebPlatform#JavaScript#CSS#BrowserAPIs
What’s Missing From the Web Platform?
Wes and Scott (post-nose-surgery Scott!) dig through their wishlist for the web platform, from tabs and toggles to a pipe operator, cookie consent APIs, and built-in local AI. Plus a tour of Wes's desk full of NFC gadgets and a very dad headlamp.
Wes Bos Host
Scott Tolinski Host
#975
Scott and Wes run through their wishlist for the web platform, digging into the UI primitives, DOM APIs, and browser features they wish existed (or didn’t suck). From better form controls and drag-and-drop to native reactivity, CSS ideas, and future-facing APIs, it’s a big-picture chat on what the web could be.
Show Notes
- 00:00 Welcome to Syntax!
- 00:39 Exploring What's Missing from the Web Platform
- 02:26 Enhancing DOM Primitives for Better User Experience
- 03:59 Multi-select + Combobox.
- 04:49 Date Picker.
- 07:18 Tabs.
- 08:01 Image + File Upload.
- 09:08 Toggles.
- 10:23 Native Drag and Drop that doesn’t suck.
- 12:03 Syntax wishlist.
- 12:06 Type Annotations.
- 15:07 Pipe Operator.
- 16:33 APIs We Wish to See on the Web
- 18:31 Brought to you by Sentry.io
- 19:51 Identity.
- 21:33 getElementByText()
- 24:09 Native Reactive DOM. Templating in JavaScript.
- 24:48 Sync Protocol.
- 25:52 Virtualization that doesn’t suck.
- 27:40 Put, Patch, and Delete on forms.
- 28:55 Text metrics: get bounding box of individual characters.
- 29:42 Lower Level Connections.
- 29:50 Bluetooth API.
- 30:47 Sockets.
- 31:29 NFC + RFID.
- 34:34 Things we want in CSS.
- 34:40 Specify transition speed.
- 35:24 CSS Strict Mode.
- 36:25 Safari moving to Chromium.
- 36:37 The Need for Diverse Browser Engines
- 37:48 AI Access.
- 44:49 Other APIs
- 46:59 Qwen TTS
- 48:07 Sick Picks + Shameless Plugs
Sick Picks
- Scott: Monarch
- Wes: Slonik Headlamp
Shameless Plugs
- Scott: Syntax on YouTube
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