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Syntax Snack Pack: CSS Tic Tac Toe, File Servers in Your Fridge & a Prettier Scare

Published 3 months ago • 3 min read

A Tasty Treats NEWSLETTER for Web Developers

Issue #51:

  • The Prettier config that shipped malware (and how to check if you’re affected)
  • Why one dev thinks today’s CS students are wasting their time
  • Logic gates... in CSS? Yep, Chrome 137 just unlocked chaos
  • pnpm quietly became your new Node version manager
  • A file server you can run in your browser — or maybe your fridge
  • A tic-tac-toe game made without HTML or JS (yes, really)
  • Plus: a link that un-shortens URLs, Wes gets cocky in CSSBattle, and a dev’s best tip for wrangling your AI coding assistant

​pnpm can now switch node versions

FROM wes

Specify the version of Node in your package.json and pnpm will use (and download+install) the correct version.

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​eslint-config-prettier Compromised:​

FROM CJ

How npm Package with 30 Million Downloads Spread Malware. Check your dependencies! Several versions of popular packages were published with malware.

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​Copyparty

HAND selected by SCOTT

Turn almost any device into a file server with resumable uploads/downloads using any web browser.

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​CSS Logic Gates

ANOTHER ONE FROM CJ!

Logic Gates implemented in PURE CSS using the new if() function available in Chrome 137+.

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just for fun:

​Tic-Tac-NoHTML

fun PROVIDED by cj

This guy made a fully functional tic tac toe game ONLY in CSS. No HTML, no JS. I looked at the view source for 20 mins and could not understand the awful/awesome things that were being done here.

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​L(o*62).ong

MORE Fun PROVIDED by cj

An anti-url shortener.

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All Hail The Algorithm

Some good stuff™ we posted this week

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New episodes 2×/week + other new video content!

​SHAMELESS PLUG​

Smarter debugging with Sentry MCP and Cursor

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