npmx shows what npmjs won't

Jeppe hosts with Brittany. Guests: Patak (Matias Capeletto, Vite core team) and Zeu Capua (zeu.dev, software engineer, Svelte ambassador).

What is npmx?

A fast, open-source browser for the npm registry. It consumes the npmjs REST API and adds a better UI and more useful data on top. Started by Daniel Roe (Nuxt lead) ~40 days before recording. Patak joined as co-steward after seeing a two-day prototype.

Features beyond npmjs.com

• ESM vs CJS detection per package
• Bundle size and install size
• Color-coded dependency freshness (yellow = patch behind, red = major behind)
• e18e module replacement warnings when a lighter modern alternative exists
• Package claiming via UI (available locally if you fork the repo)
• Planned: publishing and package management flows

Svelte is #1

Most liked package on npmx at time of recording: Svelte (173), Nuxt (101), Vite (96).

Picks

• Zeu: Hypermedia Systems by Carson Gross. Free online at hypermedia.systems.
• Brittany: Starter Villain by John Scalzi. Comedy about inheriting a villain business.
• Patak: The community blog posts from the npmx launch. Read them if you need a reminder that open source can still be fun.
• Jeppe: Cordless hot glue guns. 10 seconds to heat up, fixes everything.

Hot takes

• Zeu: Stop putting "blue" or "sky" in AT Proto app names. The protocol needs to grow beyond Blue Sky.
• Patak: He's stopped coding in open source. Focusing on people, calls, community. Open source needs more non-coders.

Links

• npmx Alpha Launch Blog Post
• npmx.dev
• npmx GitHub
• npmx Discord
• npmx Open Collective
• Zeu Capua / @zeu.dev on Blue Sky
• Eurosky
• Open Source Pledge
• Hypermedia Systems