GenAI Takes the Lead, React Labs Innovate, and Vercel Functions Scale up

This week is all about venturing into the very core of what makes our tech hearts beat faster: innovation. We're witnessing some truly pioneering strides in GenAI, which is revolutionizing our approach to coding in ways we only dreamed of before. React Labs is pushing the boundaries of front-end development, and Vercel is elevating its functions to new heights, each leap forward reshaping our industry landscape in the most exciting ways.

My own journey with AI is deeply personal. To be honest, it's a passion that lights up with every advancement and possibility. As we delve into OpenAI's latest wonder, Sora, and uncover the latest from React and Vercel, I see a reflection of my aspirations for our industry. These innovations promise a smoother, more intuitive development journey, and it's this potential that truly captivates me.

Last week's newsletter had a 42.4% open rate. The most clicked link was Introducing AI Integrations on Vercel.

In The Queue Today

• Sora, of course

• Troubles in Development, GenAI Code's Rise, and the Evolution of Front-End Development

• Streamline Your React Build, Dynamic Forms with React, and React Libraries Galore

• Revolutionize Your Web Apps with Vercel Functions and Vite 5.1

Sora

OpenAI is teasing its Sora text-to-video model, and it looks truly next-gen. Their post has an actually-understandable description of how the model works and how it fits in OpenAI's vision of AGI. And lots of amazing videos they've generated with Sora.

Reduce Friction

Slow is Smooth, and Smooth is Fast

After a successful launch, after a lot of funding and interest, the troubles start. The complexity and variety of issues afflicting the product burns excessive development time. With only three months (or six development sprints) left and a mountain of unfinished work, the author’s team faced a “do-or-die” situation.

2024 is the Year GenAI Code Hits Adolescence

In 2024, GenAI is projected to be responsible for generating 20% of all code – or 1 in every 5 code lines. 87% of software engineering leaders surveyed are likely to or already investing in GenAI coding tools for 2024. Code review is becoming a frontline skill for the next generation of developers.

The Front-End Development We’re Used to is Dying

Maksim Dolgih: Full-stack developer is not a management fad, in terms of saving on staffing, now it’s a mainstay. You don’t need a pure front-end developer, you need a developer who can make a whole application.

UTM Parameter Support in Vercel Web Analytics

UTM parameters are now available in Vercel Web Analytics. They enable detailed insights into marketing campaign effectiveness directly from the dashboard.

Deepen Your Expertise

How to Optimize Your React Build Workflow

React has established itself as the go-to JavaScript library for building user interfaces. As your React project evolves from a prototype to a full-fledged production application, optimizing your build workflow becomes crucial. This article explores techniques to streamline your React build process, from development to deployment.

A Better Guide To Forms in React

Modern best practices for building forms in React, how to build dynamic forms, and how forms relate to React Server Components.

React Libraries for 2024

A nice long list of library options for React applications.

React Labs Updates

React Labs made significant progress on the React Compiler, Actions, Activity, and other features, with the React Compiler now powering Instagram in production and Actions shipping in the next React release. The next major version of React, React 19, will include Document Metadata, Asset Loading, Actions, and other improvements.

Increase Scalability

Vercel Functions: Faster, Modern, and More Scalable

Vercel Functions now have improved automatic concurrency scaling, with up to 30,000 functions running simultaneously for Pro and 100,000 for Enterprise with the option for extended concurrency.

A Scalable Event Ticketing Platform

Ticketing platforms, with their extreme swings in demand, are a poster child for scalability challenges, and ALSO a poster child for a diverse set of usability challenges. Quite the family of challenges. A blow-by-blow guide to addressing all of these challenges.

Vite 5.1 is Out!

Vite 5.1 is released on February 8, 2024, bringing a new Vite Runtime API for improved SSR support, performance improvements like faster resolving and CSS preprocessing, and deprecations of some experimental features like build-time pre-bundling. Key additions include support for HMR during SSR, running CSS preprocessors in threads for 40% faster startup, and resolving file paths cached for 5x speedup; loading 10,000 modules now takes 5.35 seconds, reduced from 6.35 seconds in Vite 4.3.

Just Cool

Experiments Prove the Existence of a New Type of Magnetism

Experiments at the Swiss Light Source SLS prove the existence of a new type of magnetism, with broad implications for technology and research. Altermagnets have a special combination of the arrangement of spins and crystal symmetries, resulting in no net magnetization. This results in highly useful properties more resemblant of ferromagnets, as well as some completely new properties.

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