[intranation]

If they're using Node (and I assume they are, based on the fact that it's a Node.js podcast), I don't really understand why they wouldn't render the HTML server side (I may be showing my age by asking this) instead of relying on the client to render it.

[siculars]

Shifts computational work to the client.

[jergason]

Also forces you to build your server-side stuff as an api, which makes it much easier for others to consume.

[rhizome]

Since there's nothing preventing the building of the API otherwise, this is really disabling everything but API access.

[awj]

In practice there is usually a world of difference between apis that are used to build a service's main website and apis that are written outside of it. Forcing yourself to use your own apis is one of the absolute best ways to ensure you improve it.

[scorpion032]

Not necessarily a good thing.

[zacharytamas]

Yeah you have to wonder about client-side performance with work being offloaded to it to render.

[windsurfer]

Sounds like it doesn't really matter. They could do either. They might have done it on the client specifically for those people that want to see the code.