Dev Life S5E20 | Architecting for Scale: Design Systems & Web Components with Burton Smith

In this episode of the Angular Plus Show, Lara, Jay, and Jan sit down with Tomasz Ducin to dig into how AI and LLMs are reshaping software architecture, Angular development, and the day-to-day role of developers. The conversation moves from practical AI workflows and deterministic tooling to deeper architectural choices like vertical slices, local state, plugin-based design, and “removability” as a new advantage in AI-assisted codebases. Along the way, the group discusses why communication, product understanding, and architectural judgment may matter more than ever in a world where code is becoming cheaper to generate—but still expensive to maintain.Follow us onX: @DevLifePodcastX: @AngularShowBluesky: @theangularplusshow.bsky.socialThe Angular Plus Show and The DevLIfe Podcast are a part of ng-conf. ng-conf is a multi-day Angular conference focused on delivering the highest quality training in the Angular JavaScript framework. Developers from across the globe converge  every year to attend talks and workshops by the Angular team and community experts.JoinAttendXBluesky        ReadWatchStock media provided by JUQBOXMUSIC/ Pond5

Lukas brings his expertise and passion for developer experience and learning to answer the big question, "what does mentoring look like in the age of AI and coding agents?" Lukas is a staff engineer at Weights & Biases. Coding agents are changing how software is being designed, built, and tested. On this episode we explore how engineering is still at the core of the disciplines of crafting software.Follow us onX: @DevLifePodcastX: @AngularShowBluesky: @theangularplusshow.bsky.socialThe Angular Plus Show and The DevLIfe Podcast are a part of ng-conf. ng-conf is a multi-day Angular conference focused on delivering the highest quality training in the Angular JavaScript framework. Developers from across the globe converge  every year to attend talks and workshops by the Angular team and community experts.JoinAttendXBluesky        ReadWatchStock media provided by JUQBOXMUSIC/ Pond5

SolidJS made the signal pattern popular in the JavaScript community and Angular developers have benefited from it heavily. Time to talk to Atila Fassina from the SolidJS team to get a better understanding of what they are up to...Follow us onX: @DevLifePodcastX: @AngularShowBluesky: @theangularplusshow.bsky.socialThe Angular Plus Show and The DevLIfe Podcast are a part of ng-conf. ng-conf is a multi-day Angular conference focused on delivering the highest quality training in the Angular JavaScript framework. Developers from across the globe converge  every year to attend talks and workshops by the Angular team and community experts.JoinAttendXBluesky        ReadWatchStock media provided by JUQBOXMUSIC/ Pond5

What happens when the cutting edge of Angular meets the rigorous demands of enterprise UX?In this episode of the Dev Life, Brooke & Matt sit down with Brian Treese, Angular GDE and UX Lead, to explore the evolving landscape of frontend development.Brian breaks down his recent deep dives into Signal-based forms and why this reactive shift is a game-changer for state management. We also go under the hood of the Angular CDK - the "hidden gem" of the framework - to discuss why more developers should be leveraging it for robust component logic.As a UX leader, Brian shares his excitement for Angular ARIA and the future of building natively accessible applications at scale. Finally, we discuss the human side of the "AI revolution," as Brian reveals his current favorite AI development tools and how he’s refining his workflow to stay productive in a rapidly shifting ecosystem.CONNECT WITH US:https://briantree.se/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jedibravery/https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewbchristiansen/Follow us onX: @DevLifePodcastX: @AngularShowBluesky: @theangularplusshow.bsky.socialThe Angular Plus Show and The DevLIfe Podcast are a part of ng-conf. ng-conf is a multi-day Angular conference focused on delivering the highest quality training in the Angular JavaScript framework. Developers from across the globe converge  every year to attend talks and workshops by the Angular team and community experts.JoinAttendXBluesky        ReadWatchStock media provided by JUQBOXMUSIC/ Pond5

Growing a developer community (or any community for that matter!) is harder than it looks. This week we welcome Giovanni Rivas to talk about the real obstacles and opportunities in community building, mentorship, open-source collaboration, and the importance of knowledge sharing.Show notes:https://npmx.dev/https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/training-certifications/join-a-google-developer-student-club/https://gdg.community.dev/https://www.meetup.com/angularcommunity/Get in touch with Gio!https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovanni-rivas-flores/X: @garf50Follow us onX: @DevLifePodcastX: @AngularShowBluesky: @theangularplusshow.bsky.socialThe Angular Plus Show and The DevLIfe Podcast are a part of ng-conf. ng-conf is a multi-day Angular conference focused on delivering the highest quality training in the Angular JavaScript framework. Developers from across the globe converge  every year to attend talks and workshops by the Angular team and community experts.JoinAttendXBluesky        ReadWatchStock media provided by JUQBOXMUSIC/ Pond5

In this episode of The Dev Life, we sit down with Burton Smith, Senior Software Engineer at Zocdoc and former Microsoft engineer, to discuss modern frontend development, breaking down the "why" and "how" of building robust design systems, the critical UX questions every developer should ask at the start of a project, and why Web Components are becoming a vital tool for interoperability in large-scale applications.It’s a masterclass in building for the long term, delivered by a seasoned public speaker and community leader.CONNECT WITH US:https://www.linkedin.com/in/burton-smith-48132a34/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jedibravery/https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewbchristiansen/Follow us onX: @DevLifePodcastX: @AngularShowBluesky: @theangularplusshow.bsky.socialThe Angular Plus Show and The DevLIfe Podcast are a part of ng-conf. ng-conf is a multi-day Angular conference focused on delivering the highest quality training in the Angular JavaScript framework. Developers from across the globe converge  every year to attend talks and workshops by the Angular team and community experts.JoinAttendXBluesky        ReadWatchStock media provided by JUQBOXMUSIC/ Pond5

After years of anticipation, Angular applications can finally ship without Zone.js. But how are we supposed to test our apps without zone-based fakeAsync? Since we've got questions, this week we welcome three Angular tesing experts to help us understand the ins and outs of testing zoneless Angular.  Join us as we welcome Angular team member Andrew Scott, and Angular testing experts Rainer Hahnekamp, and Younes Jaaidi to the podcast. Show Linkshttps://blog.angular.dev/handling-time-and-mock-clocks-in-tests-5a393b32dd30?gi=a6f2d4a9f114https://angular.dev/api/core/testing/ComponentFixtureAutoDetecthttps://github.com/angular/angular/discussions/66779https://cookbook.marmicode.io/angular/testing/migrating-to-vitestYounes:https://marmicode.iohttps://twitter.com/yjaaidihttps://www.linkedin.com/in/yjaaidi/https://bsky.app/profile/younesjd.devhttps://youtube.com/marmicodeRainer: https://www.youtube.com/@RainerHahnekamp https://www.linkedin.com/in/rainerhahnekamp/Follow us onX: @DevLifePodcastX: @AngularShowBluesky: @theangularplusshow.bsky.socialThe Angular Plus Show and The DevLIfe Podcast are a part of ng-conf. ng-conf is a multi-day Angular conference focused on delivering the highest quality training in the Angular JavaScript framework. Developers from across the globe converge  every year to attend talks and workshops by the Angular team and community experts.JoinAttendXBluesky        ReadWatchStock media provided by JUQBOXMUSIC/ Pond5

Git standard is often the bottleneck for AI-generated code.In this episode, we’re joined by PJ Hagerty, Head of DevRel at GitButler, to discuss how the co-founder of GitHub is reinventing change management. We dive into the "parallel branches" approach that outpaces git worktree, how to prevent the "oops, I committed to main" mistake, and why GitButler acts as the essential "traffic controller" for Agentic Coding (Cursor, Claude Code).We cover:- Beyond the GUI: Why GitButler is a new mental model, not just a wrapper.- AI & Knowledge Decay: Will AI-generated commits erode our fundamental engineering craft?-The Human Element: Why DevRel isn't "dying" and how PJ is tackling mental health in tech with OSMI.Stop fighting your tools and start mastering your craft. Stream the full episode now!CONNECT WITH US:https://www.linkedin.com/in/pjhagerty/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jedibravery/https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewbchristiansen/Follow us onX: @DevLifePodcastX: @AngularShowBluesky: @theangularplusshow.bsky.socialThe Angular Plus Show and The DevLIfe Podcast are a part of ng-conf. ng-conf is a multi-day Angular conference focused on delivering the highest quality training in the Angular JavaScript framework. Developers from across the globe converge  every year to attend talks and workshops by the Angular team and community experts.JoinAttendXBluesky        ReadWatchStock media provided by JUQBOXMUSIC/ Pond5

Security is often an overlooked topic for Angular developers. Luckily we had Martina Kraus on to share everything you need to know about web security when working with Angular.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martina-kraus-398493108/https://owasp.org/Top10/2025/https://www.cvedetails.com/Follow us onX: @DevLifePodcastX: @AngularShowBluesky: @theangularplusshow.bsky.socialThe Angular Plus Show and The DevLIfe Podcast are a part of ng-conf. ng-conf is a multi-day Angular conference focused on delivering the highest quality training in the Angular JavaScript framework. Developers from across the globe converge  every year to attend talks and workshops by the Angular team and community experts.JoinAttendXBluesky        ReadWatchStock media provided by JUQBOXMUSIC/ Pond5

Behind every line of code is a human being - with stress, ambition, doubt, and purpose. In this episode of The Dev Life, Brooke & Matt are joined by Frederic Harper, Manager of Developer Relations and practitioner of Buddhist philosophy, to move beyond the IDE and explore the inner life of the developer.If you’ve ever felt like your identity is tied entirely to your productivity, this conversation is a vital reminder that there is a complex human being behind every feature you create. Whether you are looking to transition from software engineering into DevRel, reclaim your mental health in a high-pressure industry, or simply master the "monk-like" mindset of mindfulness and humility, Frederic shares a practical framework for finding alignment in a career that often feels restless. Stop just pushing code and start engineering a life you love by applying these simple, centered practices to your daily grind.In this episode, we cover:- The DevRel Path: Navigating the transition from shipping code to building communities and improving Developer Experience (DX).- The Productivity Trap: Why we tie our self-worth to our output and how to break the cycle of burnout.- Engineering the Ego: How adopting a "Think Like a Monk" mentality transforms team dynamics and personal career growth.- The 10-Minute Shift: Simple, actionable daily practices to help you find stillness and purpose in your work.CONNECT WITH US:https://fred.dev/https://www.linkedin.com/in/jedibravery/https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewbchristiansen/Follow us onX: @DevLifePodcastX: @AngularShowBluesky: @theangularplusshow.bsky.socialThe Angular Plus Show and The DevLIfe Podcast are a part of ng-conf. ng-conf is a multi-day Angular conference focused on delivering the highest quality training in the Angular JavaScript framework. Developers from across the globe converge  every year to attend talks and workshops by the Angular team and community experts.JoinAttendXBluesky        ReadWatchStock media provided by JUQBOXMUSIC/ Pond5