🪓 Split Javascript into 2 languages?

Hey everybody,

In today’s edition, we’ll look at using Cursor for daily coding, we’ll also cover a Google engineer’s proposal to split JavaScript into two languages to address security and performance issues, explore Claude Computer Use’s standout screen-reading abilities as a truly “agent-like” API, and dig into how Microsoft cut their massive JavaScript monorepo by 94%.

Before We Start!

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Quick Links

🧠 How I write code using Cursor
Wondering if tools like Cursor are worth the cost? The creator behind Arguing with Algorithms has been using Cursor daily for both personal and work projects and has insights on whether it’s a must have or just hype. From strategies to maximize its benefits quickly to advice for a worthwhile trial, they’ve got tips that might even inspire those unimpressed by Cursor to give it another shot. Right now, they’re convinced Cursor showcases the best of what LLM coding assistants can offer.

🪓 Should JavaScript be split into two languages?
A Google engineer recently proposed splitting JavaScript into two distinct languages: a minimal core for runtime engines and a more advanced version that requires compilation down to this core. The rationale? According to the proposal, new JavaScript features often hurt more than help, with security risks, performance hits, and stability issues outweighing any benefits, unless developers actively leverage these updates.

👀 Claude Computer Use — Is Vision the Ultimate API?
Thariq Shihipa spent the past two days exploring Anthropic's new "Claude Computer Use" API, and it's the closest he’s felt to a true "agent" experience. This API, essentially Claude 3.5 fine tuned for computer interactions, excels at understanding and navigating computer screens and interpreting screenshots. One of the stand out skills is Screen reading and interface navigation, which other models have struggled with. This blog post dives deep into what Claude Computer Use truly excels at, and where it still falls short.

🤏 How we shrunk our Javascript monorepo git size by 94%
Jonathan Creamer from Microsoft shared how his team managed to shrink their massive JavaScript monorepo, "1JS," by a staggering 94%. This repo is huge, boasting 20 million lines of code, 2,500 packages, and over 1,000 monthly active users. At one point, cloning it took up 178GB, so this reduction is a pretty big deal.

🎮️ Build a Sonic Runner Game in Javascript
Learn how to build a Sonic inspired infinite runner game with JavaScript. This video guides you through using the Kaplay game library to master game development fundamentals in JavaScript.

Meta is working on its own AI powered search engine

Meta is reportedly making a big move into AI search to cut down on its reliance on Google and Microsoft, according to a report from The Information.

Right now, Meta’s AI bot on Facebook and Instagram pulls from Google and Bing to answer current event questions. But that might not be the case for long, Meta’s been building its own web crawler to power an AI-driven search engine, pulling data straight from the web to answer questions right inside its apps.

A Meta team has been working on this for around eight months, putting together a massive information base for their chatbot, with a goal of creating more conversational, real-time answers on WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.

This could be a serious play to compete with Google’s local data and Apple’s App Store search tools.

Remember, OpenAI’s also got SearchGPT in the works, and even Google’s pushing its latest Gemini AI model into Search.

Scraping data to fuel AI search already raises big copyright concerns, with content creators demanding fair compensation. Perplexity’s AI search engine already faces lawsuits from News Corp and The New York Times over similar issues.

More Reading

🦙 An Open Source version of NotebookLM (Meta)
⛺️ Algorithmic Trading on the Runescape Grand Exchange (Tristan Rhodes)
🆓 JetBrains Rider is now free (JetBrains)
📛 OOP is not that bad, actually (osa1)

6 Essential Tips for New CS Graduates Entering the Tech Industry

Just graduated or about to finish your 4-year computer science degree? Congrats! 🎓

But with tech layoffs and AI writing code, it’s normal to feel a bit uneasy about the job market. In this video, I’ll explain why your degree is still extremely valuable and share 6 tips to launch your tech career successfully!

Until next week,

Travis.