Is CSS a Programming Language? w/ Kevin Powell

Is CSS a Programming Language? w/ Kevin Powell

Author: Skill Issue Studios October 9, 2025 Duration: 52:25

This week, Robbie and Adam talk with Kevin Powell about the quirks and complexities of CSS, from Tailwind and Flexbox to AI’s failure to write decent styles. While sipping some Crown Royal Black, they dig into weird web history, emerging CSS specs, toast milestones, and the beauty of clean code.

In this episode:

  • (00:00) - Intro
  • (02:51) - Whiskey rating & review: Crown Royal Black
  • (07:54) - Hot Take: Is CSS a programming language?
  • (09:54) - Hot Take: Was CSS-in-JS a mistake?
  • (10:53) - Hot Take: Grid vs Flexbox
  • (12:31) - Hot Take: Tailwind vs vanilla CSS?
  • (16:05) - Kevin's favorite place to write CSS
  • (17:45) - What CSS feature scares Kevin the most?
  • (19:20) - Kevin's first CSS pre-processor
  • (22:40) - CSS features that are taking too long to ship
  • (27:22) - text-box-trim vs margin-trim
  • (29:53) - Why attr() is a game-changer for CSS
  • (31:18) - NPM package chaos and security concerns
  • (32:16) - The “billion laughs” CSS attack
  • (33:19) - Why can't AI write CSS?
  • (36:52) - Wake-and-bake? Kevin’s sourdough & kombucha hobby
  • (38:42) - Kevin’s homebrewing and water shortage woes
  • (40:28) - Hobbies, football, and making time for fun
  • (42:44) - What would Kevin do if not in tech?
  • (44:41) - Kevin's favorite CSS typo
  • (45:58) - Rebuilding Tailwind from scratch
  • (46:53) - Vanilla CSS vs. Tailwind: Who wins a coding race?
  • (50:08) - Plugs

Links

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There's a certain alchemy that happens when you combine deep technical expertise with the warmth of a good conversation, and that's exactly what you'll find in Whiskey Web and Whatnot. Hosts Robbie Wagner, Charles William Carpenter III, and Adam Argyle bring decades of collective experience to the table, but they leave the lecture format at the door. Instead, each episode feels like pulling up a chair with colleagues who are just as passionate about the craft of building for the web as they are about the nuanced flavors in a glass of whiskey. The discussion naturally flows between the concrete details of modern development-like navigating JavaScript frameworks, CSS architecture, or the practical realities of agentic AI and new coding tools-and the broader, human aspects of a software engineering career. This podcast from Skill Issue Studios is built on the idea that the tools and the people who use them are equally important. You'll come for insightful, grounded advice on developer productivity and emerging technologies, but you'll stay for the genuine camaraderie and the occasional spirited debate about which whiskey bottle truly earns a spot on the shelf. It’s a refreshing blend of substance and personality, making complex topics accessible and reminding everyone that there's always a story behind the code.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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