Dearest Hackers,

We’re hittin’ the road this week! As we speed down the open highway, towards the sunset of JDK updates, GitLab upgrades, and a Crystalized game-changer – it feels like freedom. With new ideas and fresh perspectives, our latest issue says goodbye to shaky AMP’s, and other Google-influenced misadventures. Issue 66 is about new energy, powered by patches and a desire for all things technical.

It’s time for a road trip into a better future – so hop on in!

Dan ‘the Man’ Kowalski

Editor-in-Chief, The Hacker’s Tribute

JDK’s Sweet 16

We’re all about the numbers today! At its 16th edition, JDK packs 46 enhancements, 25 bug fixes, and a new maximum pause time of only 1 millisecond. That’s right – sub-millisecond pause times are the new norm, with the reduction dropping from an earlier 10ms. Explore in-place relocation, allocation & initialization of forwarding tables, and say goodbye to the heap reserve – to save memory, and simplify compacting! Click to see the eye-watering developments right here.

Read more: ZGC | What’s new in JDK 16

The End of AMP

There’s nothing ‘accelerating’ about Accelerated Mobile Pages – but worry no more. Google’s page experience update has confirmed it and will end its special treatment of AMP’s. Good riddance to analytics issues, login problems, and gluing users to Google’s search pages. The old witch is dead – long live faster and richer user experiences. Want to know just ‘how much’ this newfound freedom will boost your site? Dwayne Lafleur lays it out for us. Expect better data transfer, less bloat, and more revenues!

Read more: The End of AMP

Crystalize!

This language is going places. When you nail the primary 1.0 milestone, there’s much to celebrate. We’re on the edge of our seats, as Crystal offers the speeds of C and C++, albeit with the easiest syntax this side of the galaxy. It’s a work in progress, with some items still seeking official Windows support. Watch this space, as the team looks to fine-tune ARM support and multithreading, to get it ready for the hustles and bustles of the multi-core environment.

Patching up!

Did your Android crash last Monday? It’s ok, you’re not alone. From Gmail, to maps, to anything requiring web content – it all points to a Chrome-linked render that sneezed and infected Android System WebView. But the sickness is subsiding, as users are instructed to upgrade everything Android-affiliated, for their complimentary patch. And while Google won’t disclose the details of the cause for its hiccups – it did say sorry. Well – that’s a start, I suppose.

GitLab Gets Going!

13 is our kind of lucky number! But 13.10, that might be a bonus. GitLab’s newest update includes instruments built for scale, literally. But that’s not all, you can feel secure, as the team also shares admin tools designed to automate routine tasks and improve vulnerability management. Be sure to explore its new API, designed for Deployment Frequency, at group level.