From the Rickhouse: Why Svelte Might Just Outdo React w/ Rich Harris

Whiskey Web and Whatnot: Web Development, Neat

From the Rickhouse: Why Svelte Might Just Outdo React w/ Rich Harris

Explicit

Published on Jul 17, 2025, 7:00:00 AM
Total time: 01:00:58

Episode Description

In this special International Whiskey Day episode of Whiskey Web and Whatnot, hosts RobbieTheWagner, and Charles William Carpenter III are joined by special guest Rich Harris. 

They share a toast with Lagavulin Offerman Edition whiskey and dive into a discussion covering a range of topics from Rich's journey in software development, his work on the Svelte framework, to his thoughts on cheese, fermented foods, and brewing kombucha. 

The conversation transitions into deeper tech discussions about TypeScript, the evolution of web development tools, the balance between developer experience and user experience, and the upcoming features in Svelte 5. Rich also shares personal anecdotes from his career in journalism and his passion for cooking and skiing. 

The episode concludes with insights into the overabundance of tech conferences and a note on the upcoming Svelte Summit.

In this episode:

  • (00:00) - Welcome to the International Whiskey Day Special
  • (00:48) - Meet Rich Harris: The Man Behind Svelte
  • (01:28) - The Great Cheese Debate: To Love or Not to Love
  • (02:40) - Brewing Kombucha: A Fermented Adventure
  • (03:59) - Whiskey Tasting: The Lagavulin Offerman Edition Experience
  • (07:29) - Rating the Whiskey: From Smoky Notes to Leather Hints
  • (10:34) - Exploring Smoky Whiskeys and Beyond
  • (11:57) - Hot Takes on Tech: TypeScript, Tailwind, and More
  • (24:51) - The Evolution of Digital Journalism and Development Tools
  • (27:40) - Git Practices and the GraphQL Debate
  • (30:29) - The Developer's Dilemma: Tool Selection and User Experience
  • (31:17) - The Spicy Segment: A Critical Look at ES Build
  • (33:11) - Developer Experience vs. User Experience: A Shift in Priorities
  • (34:24) - The Evolution of Svelte: From Speed to Ease of Use
  • (40:34) - Introducing Svelte 5: A Ground-Up Rewrite
  • (50:03) - Beyond Tech: Dream Jobs and Personal Passions
  • (56:54) - The Global Developer Conference Scene
  • (59:18) - Final Thoughts and Svelte Promotion


Links


Connect with our hosts


Subscribe and stay in touch


Whiskey Web and Whatnot Merch

Enjoying the podcast and want us to make more? Help support us by picking up some of our fresh merch at https://whiskey.fund/⁠.

More about Whiskey Web and Whatnot: Web Development, Neat
Veteran web developers RobbieTheWagner and Charles William Carpenter III host this informal, whiskey-fueled fireside chat with your favorite web devs. They discuss all things web development including JavaScript, TypeScript, EmberJS, React, Astro, SolidJS, CSS, HTML, Web3, and more. They take a unique approach and focus on getting to know the human side of developers and their hobbies outside of work, all while sampling a new whiskey that they rate on their unique tentacle scale.