Hiya friends,
Happy 2026. First issue of the year, and I'm coming in with a prediction: this is the year tooling finally catches up.
Not AGI. Not agents. The boring stuff. Compilers, package managers, workflow pages. The infrastructure we've been waiting on for years is suddenly getting 10x faster. Let me show you what I mean.
🚢 What shipped
TypeScript 7 Is Real (And It's Fast)
Microsoft's been rewriting the TypeScript compiler in Go. Project Corsa, they call it. The December update confirms it's now stable enough for daily use.
The numbers: 10x faster compile times. 8x faster editor startup. The VS Code codebase (1.5 million lines) loads in 1.2 seconds instead of 9.6.
TypeScript 6 will be the last JavaScript-based release. That's not a typo. The compiler that processes your TypeScript will no longer be written in TypeScript. Why Go? Short version: it's a port, not a rewrite. Go's patterns closely match the existing codebase, which means they could move fast without breaking compatibility. Rust would've been a multi-year ground-up rewrite. Go got them there in months.
If you want to try it now, install @typescript/native-preview and run tsgo.
Actions Workflows Page: Finally Handles Big Jobs
If you've ever watched the Actions workflow page choke on a matrix build, good news. GitHub shipped lazy loading for workflows with 300+ jobs.
Even better: you can now filter jobs by status. Show only failed jobs. Show only in-progress jobs. No more scrolling through hundreds of green checkmarks to find the one red X. Small improvement, big quality of life win for anyone running complex CI or monorepo setups.
📖 What I'm Reading
Peter Steinberger's "Shipping at Inference-Speed" is a fascinating look at how one developer's workflow has evolved with AI tooling. But the part that stuck with me has nothing to do with AI: he maintains a docs/*.md folder in every project with documentation for subsystems and features, then uses scripts to force context-loading on specific topics.
Good docs in predictable locations. Works whether you're onboarding a new team member or an AI agent. Fundamentals.
🔧 What I'm Using
Not a dev tool this week. But a personal health recommendation, I've been taking Pendulum Akkermansia for gut health. The difference has been noticeable - energy, focus, digestion, all improved. Sometimes the best productivity hack isn't another CLI tool. It's taking care of yourself.
✨ This week
Back from the holidays. Technically I didn't fully stop working, but it was nice to operate on my own terms and time. Watched the Stranger Things finale. Strange how attached we get to fictional characters. I watched those kids grow up as much as I grew up with them. Five seasons later, saying goodbye hit harder than expected, and yes I too shouted No nottt STEVE.
That's it. Anyway. New year. Fresh energy. Let's build things.
With gratitude, I'll see you next week,
Andrea
A big 2026 starts now. True builders use this stretch of time to get ahead, not slow down. Launch your website with AI, publish a stunning newsletter, and start earning more money quickly through the beehiiv Ad Network. Use code BIG30 for 30 percent off your first three months. Start building for 30% off today.