Hello JavaScript Enthusiasts! Welcome to a new edition of "This Week in JavaScript"! This Week in JavaScript Today, we're diving into TypeScript's major update, shocking JavaScript usage stats, TikTok's revolutionary new framework, and essential tool updates that will supercharge your development workflow! Lynx: TikTok's Answer to Cross-Platform Development Lynx: TikTok's Answer to Cross-Platform Development TikTok has unveiled Lynx, an exciting new approach to cross-platform app development that's already powering major features. TikTok has unveiled Lynx TikTok has unveiled Lynx What Makes It Special: What Makes It Special: Native Performance: Build truly native UIs across both mobile and web from a single codebase
Beyond React Native: Takes inspiration from React Native but aims to be more modular, flexible, and eventually framework-agnostic
Custom JavaScript Engine: Comes with its own QuickJS-based engine for optimal performance
Dual-Threaded Model: Built with a performance-driven UI programming approach
Real-World Proven: Already powers TikTok's Search panel, TikTok Studio app, e-commerce storefronts, and special events like Disney100
Web Developer Friendly: You still write markup and CSS just like you would for the web, with full support for CSS animations, transitions, selectors, variables, and modern visual effects Native Performance: Build truly native UIs across both mobile and web from a single codebase Native Performance: Beyond React Native: Takes inspiration from React Native but aims to be more modular, flexible, and eventually framework-agnostic Beyond React Native: Custom JavaScript Engine: Comes with its own QuickJS-based engine for optimal performance Custom JavaScript Engine: Dual-Threaded Model: Built with a performance-driven UI programming approach Dual-Threaded Model: Real-World Proven: Already powers TikTok's Search panel, TikTok Studio app, e-commerce storefronts, and special events like Disney100 Real-World Proven: Web Developer Friendly: You still write markup and CSS just like you would for the web, with full support for CSS animations, transitions, selectors, variables, and modern visual effects Web Developer Friendly: TypeScript 5.8: Node.js Developers Rejoice! TypeScript 5.8: Node.js Developers Rejoice! After four months of development, TypeScript 5.8 has arrived with game-changing features for Node developers. TypeScript 5.8 has arrived TypeScript 5.8 has arrived Why It Matters: Why It Matters: CommonJS/ESM Compatibility: You can now use require() for ES modules in the nodenext module setting—a huge win for library authors!
Node18 Module Option: Lock into Node 18 features for more stable development
Erasable Syntax: New --erasableSyntaxOnly flag ensures no TypeScript-only runtime semantics sneak into your code
Performance Boost: Serious optimizations for program loads and updates mean faster build times and snappier watch mode
Direct TypeScript Execution: Works perfectly with Node.js 23.6's new support for running TypeScript files directly CommonJS/ESM Compatibility: You can now use require() for ES modules in the nodenext module setting—a huge win for library authors! CommonJS/ESM Compatibility: Node18 Module Option: Lock into Node 18 features for more stable development Node18 Module Option: Erasable Syntax: New --erasableSyntaxOnly flag ensures no TypeScript-only runtime semantics sneak into your code Erasable Syntax: Performance Boost: Serious optimizations for program loads and updates mean faster build times and snappier watch mode Performance Boost: Direct TypeScript Execution: Works perfectly with Node.js 23.6's new support for running TypeScript files directly Direct TypeScript Execution: JavaScript Usage Report: The Web's Hidden Reality JavaScript Usage Report: The Web's Hidden Reality The HTTP Archive's Web Almanac has released eye-opening statistics about how JavaScript is actually being used across the web: how JavaScript is actually being used across the web how JavaScript is actually being used across the web Key Findings: Key Findings: Growing Payloads: The median JavaScript payload jumped 14% in just one year—now 558KB on mobile and 613KB on desktop
Wasted Resources: A shocking 44% of all JavaScript bytes downloaded are completely unused during page load!
Compression Evolution: Brotli compression has finally overtaken gzip as the most widely used compression method (but third-party scripts are lagging behind)
jQuery Still King: Despite all the framework hype, jQuery dominates at 74% of pages in 2024!
React's Slow Growth: React usage increased slightly from 8% to 10% over the past year
Web Workers Surge: Usage jumped from 12% to 30% of mobile pages, showing developers are finally moving intensive tasks off the main thread Growing Payloads: The median JavaScript payload jumped 14% in just one year—now 558KB on mobile and 613KB on desktop Growing Payloads: Wasted Resources: A shocking 44% of all JavaScript bytes downloaded are completely unused during page load! Wasted Resources: Compression Evolution: Brotli compression has finally overtaken gzip as the most widely used compression method (but third-party scripts are lagging behind) jQuery Still King: Despite all the framework hype, jQuery dominates at 74% of pages in 2024! jQuery Still King React's Slow Growth: React usage increased slightly from 8% to 10% over the past year React's Slow Growth: Web Workers Surge: Usage jumped from 12% to 30% of mobile pages, showing developers are finally moving intensive tasks off the main thread Web Workers Surge: Tools & Releases You Should Know About Tools & Releases You Should Know About Let’s take a quick look at the latest tools making waves in the JavaScript world this week! Electron 35.0: Electron 35.0 just dropped with preload scripts for Service Workers - a game-changer for Chrome extension support with Manifest V3. Updated to Chromium 134, V8 13.5, and Node 22.14, plus a new ServiceWorkerMain class for direct interaction from the main process. Desktop app developers will find extension support significantly smoother.
Angular 19.2: Angular 19.2 brings signal-style elegance to async data with new httpResource and rxResource APIs. They've also improved template ergonomics with untagged template literals, letting you write [class]="layout col-${colWidth}" without the usual hassle - small touches that make Angular development feel more natural.
React Aria (March Update): React Aria's March update delivers three new components (Toast, Tree, Virtualizer) and enhances Autocomplete to support Searchable Menus and Command Palettes. The biggest win? A complete usePress refactor fixing years of third-party library compatibility issues - essential for accessibility-focused developers.
Readability.js: Readability.js brings Firefox's Reader View tech to your projects, extracting clean content from cluttered web pages. Its simple API returns article content, titles, bylines, and reading time estimates - perfect for content-focused apps (just pair with DOMPurify for security).
NodeBB 4.1: NodeBB 4.1 enhances ActivityPub federation with improved topic presentation, remote tag support, and fixed federation issues. The new 'markdown' post parsing type delivers cleaner content handling - making it an even stronger choice for communities connecting to the Fediverse. Electron 35.0: Electron 35.0 just dropped with preload scripts for Service Workers - a game-changer for Chrome extension support with Manifest V3. Updated to Chromium 134, V8 13.5, and Node 22.14, plus a new ServiceWorkerMain class for direct interaction from the main process. Desktop app developers will find extension support significantly smoother. Electron 35.0 Electron 35.0 Angular 19.2: Angular 19.2 brings signal-style elegance to async data with new httpResource and rxResource APIs. They've also improved template ergonomics with untagged template literals, letting you write [class]="layout col-${colWidth}" without the usual hassle - small touches that make Angular development feel more natural. Angular 19.2 Angular 19.2 React Aria (March Update): React Aria's March update delivers three new components (Toast, Tree, Virtualizer) and enhances Autocomplete to support Searchable Menus and Command Palettes. The biggest win? A complete usePress refactor fixing years of third-party library compatibility issues - essential for accessibility-focused developers. React Aria (March Update) React Aria (March Update) Readability.js: Readability.js brings Firefox's Reader View tech to your projects, extracting clean content from cluttered web pages. Its simple API returns article content, titles, bylines, and reading time estimates - perfect for content-focused apps (just pair with DOMPurify for security). Readability.js Readability.js NodeBB 4.1: NodeBB 4.1 enhances ActivityPub federation with improved topic presentation, remote tag support, and fixed federation issues. The new 'markdown' post parsing type delivers cleaner content handling - making it an even stronger choice for communities connecting to the Fediverse. NodeBB 4.1 NodeBB 4.1 And that's it for the twenty-fifth issue of "This Week in JavaScript." This Week in JavaScript. Feel free to share this newsletter with a fellow developer, and make sure you're following to get notified about the next issue. Until next time, happy coding!

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