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

AI models are already remarkably capable, but their intelligence doesn’t matter much if they’re too expensive, limited, or confusing to use. In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike discuss why cheaper and faster models, higher usage limits, and a better user experience could be more important than winning the next benchmark - and why the future of AI may be about making today’s technology genuinely usable.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/ais-biggest-problem-isnt-intelligence-anymore

AI is easy to start using, but getting good at it takes practice. In this episode, Matt and Mike break down the AI basics everyone should learn first, from improving your prompts and knowing when AI needs to search the web to verifying important answers and avoiding AI overload. Whether you're using ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or another AI tool, these tips will help you build better habits and get more useful results.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/ai-basics-learn-these-tips-first

Is AI coding making technical debt worse, or could it help us finally clean it up? In this edition of the Web News, Matt and Mike debate how tighter deadlines, unchecked code, and AI’s context limits affect maintainability - and whether clean code still matters when AI can navigate the mess.

Inspired by this r/webdev discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/webdev/comments/1wi3mi5/is_vibe_coding_creating_a_hidden_technical_debt/

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/is-ai-coding-making-technical-debt-worse

Every once in a while, a new app actually sticks and changes how you work. In this episode, Mike shares the developer and productivity apps that have earned a permanent spot in his workflow, including the Aside AI Browser, Orca Agent IDE, OrbStack, Aerospace, Raycast, and Niagara Launcher. We dig into AI-powered browser automation, managing multiple coding agents, remote development from your phone, lightweight Docker alternatives, keyboard-first macOS workflows, and minimalist Android setups.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/my-favorite-developer-and-productivity-apps-right-now

Use our Scrimba affiliate link (https://scrimba.com/?via=htmlallthethings) for a 20% discount!! Full details in show notes.

Can AI actually plan a good vacation? Matt recently used ChatGPT and Gemini to help plan a trip to the UK, from sightseeing and transportation to fitting everything into a packed itinerary. We break down what AI got right, where it completely missed the mark, and why the best travel planning still combines AI with Google Maps, social media, and advice from real people.

Show Notes: https://www.htmlallthethings.com/podcast/i-let-ai-help-plan-my-vacation-heres-how-it-went