What You Missed in November

First, let’s get some of the tech releases out of the way.

Nuxt v3.14

Nuxt, the Vue.js meta-framework, released version 3.14 earlier this month, bringing exciting updates for both developer experience and performance.

  1. The new experimental Rspack builder promises faster build times and can be enabled with minimal setup.
  2. A shared folder has been introduced for better organization, allowing developers to share code and types between the client and server.
  3. Performance has also been boosted offering faster startup times and native Node.js ESM import support.

PHP v8.4

PHP just had its yearly release and introduces significant enhancements that improves the language’s functionality and developer experience. Key features include:

  1. Property Hooks, allowing for custom getter and setter logic directly within property declarations;
public string $label {
    get => \sprintf("%s_%s", $this->lang, $this->country);
    set (string $value) {
        [$this->lang, $this->country] = explode('_', $value, 2);
    }
}
  1. Asymmetric Visibility, enabling distinct access levels for reading and writing class properties.
class PhpVersion {
    public private(set) string $version = '8.4';

    public function increment(): void {
        [$major, $minor] = explode('.', $this->version);
        $minor++;
        $this->version = "{$major}.{$minor}";
    }
}

The update also brings native support for lazy objects, optimizing performance by deferring object initialization until necessary.

class Example {
    public function __construct(public int $prop) {
        echo __METHOD__, "\n";
    }
}
$reflector = new ReflectionClass(Example::class);
$lazy = $reflector->newLazyGhost(function (Example $object) {
    // Initialize object in-place
    $object->__construct(1);
});

Angular 19

Another big November release is Angular 19 which commits fully to improve its developer experience and remove bloated, deprecated internal dependencies.

Components are now standalone by default, simplifying code structure and promoting reusability across applications. The Signal API has been stabilized, providing a more predictable reactivity model, and server side rendering is improved thanks to the introduction of incremental hydration and deferred loading of components.

CSS

CSS also made headlines this month with the unveiling of its new logo and a host of features aimed at modernizing the web design experience. The new logo represents the evolution of CSS over the years, embracing a sleeker, more contemporary aesthetic. Feature-wise, developers now have access to container queries without workarounds, providing more flexibility in responsive design.

.card {
    /* card base styles */

    &:hover, &:focus {
        /* state styles */
    }

    @container (width >= 300px) {
        /* container query styles */
    }
}

Other enhancements include the support for subgrids, making complex grid layouts easier to manage, and updated syntax for color management, which simplifies working with custom color spaces.

Truth Terminal

Switching gears for a second it looks like AI is not only a better coder, but it can also make more money than you. Truth Terminal, an experimental AI agent involving two advanced Claude 3 Opus instances, has accumulated over $2 million in crypto assets while the rest of us are trying to figure out how to make rent. What’s interesting is that the AI didn’t just follow the market, it invented its own. A crypto token tied to its philosophical ideas surged in value and helped the truth terminal wallet to briefly hit even the $12 million dollar mark.

Chrome

In other news, your favorite evil “don’t be evil” tech overlord might be forced to part ways with Chrome. Amid growing monopoly complaints, regulators are considering drastic measures to curb Google’s dominance in the browser market.

Chrome currently holds over 60% of global browser usage, raising concerns about anti-competitive practices. If forced to sell, it could shake up the browser landscape and give rivals like Firefox, Safari, and Edge a rare chance to claw back market share. Because, as we all know, this is what the web thrives in - pointless wars and instability.

Deno vs Oracle

Speaking of which, Deno is officially launching a trademark war on Oracle in hopes of freeing the JavaScript name. Backed by 15,000 signatures from developers, the petition calls for Oracle to relinquish the trademark, arguing that a single company should not control the name of the web’s most widely used programming language.

Tailwind CSS v4.0 Beta

Finally, Tailwind CSS 4 has entered beta, bringing a fresh wave of utility-first updates for modern web developers. This release focuses on streamlining workflows and enhancing customization via a revamped theming system that simplifies the management of design elements. Additionally V4 enjoys a new engine with 4 times faster full builds, and incremental builds being 100 times faster measured in microseconds.

If you are interested in more deep dives into tech news, you should check some of my other videos as well.

Until next time, thank you for reading!