Google Chrome feature makes JavaScript 10X faster, GSAP is now free, UNKNOWN JavaScript hack, and more

Hello JavaScript Enthusiasts! Welcome to this week's edition of "This Week in JavaScript"! This week, we've witnessed a seismic legal victory that changed the app development landscape forever, groundbreaking performance boosters for JavaScript engines, and incredible tools going completely free. This Google Chrome Feature Makes JavaScript Run Faster Chrome's V8 team just dropped a game-changing feature that makes JavaScript blazingly fast! Key Features: Explicit Compile Hints let developers control which functions compile at startup Simple magic comment (//# allFunctionsCalledOnLoad) tells V8 what to prioritize Average load time improvements of 630 milliseconds across major websites Zero refactoring required - just add comments and watch performance soar This isn't just an incremental update—it's a turbo boost for web applications with minimal developer effort. GSAP is now Free In a stunning move, Webflow has acquired GSAP and made EVERYTHING completely free! What's Included: All premium plugins (SplitText, MorphSVG) now available to everyone SplitText 3.13 completely rewritten: 50% smaller with 14 new features Perfect accessibility, responsive layouts, and emoji support New feature: animate TO CSS variables for dynamic theming The animation ecosystem just democratized overnight, putting professional-grade tools in every developer's hands. The JavaScript Hack No One Talks About Converting values to a string in JavaScript might sound like a small task, but it is surely very complicated. Here's the developer lifesaver you didn't know you needed! The Problem: Most string conversion methods fail on symbols and null-prototype objects Different approaches crash on different types Your code randomly explodes with certain values The Solution: Object.prototype.toString.call(value) handles everything perfectly Works with symbols, null-prototypes, and all edge cases It's like having a universal translator for JavaScript values Tools & Releases You Should Know About Deno 2.3: Compile your apps into single files with everything included, install packages 2x faster, and automatically clean up memory leaks with the new ‘using’ keyword. Perfect for building standalone executables that work anywhere without requiring users to install Deno or dependencies. \ Prisma 6.7: Ditched Rust for TypeScript to run faster, split your database models into separate files for better organization, and now supports JavaScript-native SQLite out of the box. The new architecture makes Prisma feel like a native JavaScript library, eliminating the binary overhead that slowed down previous versions. \ Electron 36: Upgraded browser engine and Node.js, Windows apps now have rounded corners that look native, code signing is built-in so Microsoft trusts your apps, and smooth animations without performance caps. The new ServiceWorkerMain API lets you control background workers from the main process, opening up new possibilities for desktop app architecture. \ Koa 3.0: A tiny web framework (under 3MB) from the Express team that handles caching, errors, and content negotiation automatically - perfect for building lightweight APIs. Unlike heavier frameworks, Koa gives you just what you need without bloat, making it ideal for microservices and serverless deployments. \ PGlite 0.3: Run a full PostgreSQL database in your browser (3MB size), works offline with IndexedDB storage, supports AI vector search, and ideal for testing or edge computing apps. Now upgraded to PostgreSQL 17.4, bringing all the latest database features to client-side applications without external dependencies. And that's it for the thirty-third issue of "This Week in JavaScript", brought to you by jam.dev — the tool that makes it impossible for your team to send you bad bug reports. Feel free to share this newsletter with a fellow developer, and make sure you're following for more weekly updates. Until next time, happy coding!

May 4, 2025 - 18:19

Google Chrome feature makes JavaScript 10X faster, GSAP is now free, UNKNOWN JavaScript hack, and more

Hello JavaScript Enthusiasts!

Welcome to this week's edition of "This Week in JavaScript"!

This week, we've witnessed a seismic legal victory that changed the app development landscape forever, groundbreaking performance boosters for JavaScript engines, and incredible tools going completely free.

This Google Chrome Feature Makes JavaScript Run Faster

Chrome's V8 team just dropped a game-changing feature that makes JavaScript blazingly fast!

Key Features:

Explicit Compile Hints let developers control which functions compile at startup
Simple magic comment (//# allFunctionsCalledOnLoad) tells V8 what to prioritize
Average load time improvements of 630 milliseconds across major websites
Zero refactoring required - just add comments and watch performance soar

This isn't just an incremental update—it's a turbo boost for web applications with minimal developer effort.

GSAP is now Free

In a stunning move, Webflow has acquired GSAP and made EVERYTHING completely free!

What's Included:

All premium plugins (SplitText, MorphSVG) now available to everyone
SplitText 3.13 completely rewritten: 50% smaller with 14 new features
Perfect accessibility, responsive layouts, and emoji support
New feature: animate TO CSS variables for dynamic theming

The animation ecosystem just democratized overnight, putting professional-grade tools in every developer's hands.

The JavaScript Hack No One Talks About

Converting values to a string in JavaScript might sound like a small task, but it is surely very complicated. Here's the developer lifesaver you didn't know you needed!

The Problem:

Most string conversion methods fail on symbols and null-prototype objects
Different approaches crash on different types
Your code randomly explodes with certain values

The Solution:

Object.prototype.toString.call(value) handles everything perfectly
Works with symbols, null-prototypes, and all edge cases
It's like having a universal translator for JavaScript values

Tools & Releases You Should Know About

Deno 2.3: Compile your apps into single files with everything included, install packages 2x faster, and automatically clean up memory leaks with the new ‘using’ keyword. Perfect for building standalone executables that work anywhere without requiring users to install Deno or dependencies. \
Prisma 6.7: Ditched Rust for TypeScript to run faster, split your database models into separate files for better organization, and now supports JavaScript-native SQLite out of the box. The new architecture makes Prisma feel like a native JavaScript library, eliminating the binary overhead that slowed down previous versions. \
Electron 36: Upgraded browser engine and Node.js, Windows apps now have rounded corners that look native, code signing is built-in so Microsoft trusts your apps, and smooth animations without performance caps. The new ServiceWorkerMain API lets you control background workers from the main process, opening up new possibilities for desktop app architecture. \
Koa 3.0: A tiny web framework (under 3MB) from the Express team that handles caching, errors, and content negotiation automatically - perfect for building lightweight APIs. Unlike heavier frameworks, Koa gives you just what you need without bloat, making it ideal for microservices and serverless deployments. \
PGlite 0.3: Run a full PostgreSQL database in your browser (3MB size), works offline with IndexedDB storage, supports AI vector search, and ideal for testing or edge computing apps. Now upgraded to PostgreSQL 17.4, bringing all the latest database features to client-side applications without external dependencies.

And that's it for the thirty-third issue of "This Week in JavaScript", brought to you by jam.dev — the tool that makes it impossible for your team to send you bad bug reports.

Feel free to share this newsletter with a fellow developer, and make sure you're following for more weekly updates.

Until next time, happy coding!