March major releases: from web rendering to Java background jobs

Open source maintainers shipped a steady stream of major version updates in March, spanning frameworks, developer tools, and game development utilities. Here is a roundup of the releases that stood out.

Babylon.js 5.0

The web rendering engine Babylon.js continues to evolve since it was last covered here in November 2020. It now powers a range of production websites, including GitHub Skyline. Version 5.0 introduces infinite morph targets and an animation curve editor, along with broader support improvements. Full details are in the release notes.

Mantine 4.0

Mantine, a React Hooks and components library, ships four new components and Hooks in its latest release. All new additions work in both light and dark themes. The update also brings a range of design refinements and more than 20 new features, as detailed in the changelog.

⚡️ Introducing Mantine 4.0

New form and spotlight packages, 4 new components and hooks, various DX improvements and 20+ other new featureshttps://t.co/PyVl2PljMk#javascript #reactjs #webdev

— Mantine (@mantinedev) March 10, 2022

Axentix 2.0

Axentix combines customisable components with utility-first CSS classes for faster site building. The second major version adds more CSS variables, new material forms, expanded CSS colour support, additional utility classes for effects, and dark mode. See the changelog and the DEV post for the complete list of changes.

Mitmproxy 8.0

The interactive HTTPS proxy Mitmproxy reaches version 8.0 with asynchronous webhooks and several web UI improvements. The UI work came from a student participating in Google Summer of Code 2021. Mitmproxy has an open issue outlining its Honeynet project plans for this year's Summer of Code, which may interest student contributors.

The new Mitmweb now renders TCP and WebSocket flows, offers direct cURL/HTTPie/raw HTTP export, has an experimental command bar.

JobRunr 5.0

JobRunr simplifies background processing on the JVM. Version 5.0 adds support for scheduling recurring jobs and now works with Spring Native and the Mapped Diagnostics Context. The changelog covers the other modifications in this release.

I'm happy to share that JobRunr 5.0.0 is out for all your #Java #scheduling #jobs ! Thanks to @starbuxman, JobRunr now also supports @springboot Native. Read more on https://t.co/2jDruBwhmf

— JobRunr (@JobRunr) March 30, 2022

LDtk 1.0

LDtk, the Level Designer Toolkit, is a 2D level editor built for a friendly game design experience. Following about a year of development, deepnight has shipped the project's first major release. Whether preparing for Global Game Jam, GitHub Game Off, or Ludum Dare, LDtk is worth evaluating. See the v1.0.0 release notes.

Neo.mjs 4.0

Neo.mjs takes a worker-driven approach to frontend development, aiming to improve browser performance for scalable apps. Version 4.0 adds ServiceWorkers to accelerate web applications further. The framework powers a COVID data visualiser that runs seamlessly across multiple windows. A related post explains how these changes contribute to a faster web experience.

Front Matter 7.0

Returning to Release Radar since its January debut, Front Matter keeps up a brisk release cadence. The latest version adds snippet support and a new dashboard, plus enhancements to colour themes, panels, walkthroughs, and more. The release notes contain the full rundown.

#FrontMatter Version 7.0.0 is shipped 🚢

✂️ #Snippets
📅 Date field updates
🖼️ New media panel
🙈 Hiding files for non-page bundles
📕 Documentation updates

Check out the release notes to see all updates
👇👇👇 https://t.co/BICjwFhONK#CMS #websites #opensource

— Elio Struyf | #FrontMatter (@eliostruyf) March 21, 2022

FeedbackFin 1.0

FeedbackFin offers a lightweight way to collect website feedback. The tool lets you embed a feedback form and send submissions to a spreadsheet, with customisable styling and colours. Built by the team behind Rowy (featured here in September 2021), FeedbackFin marks another milestone for the group.

Congratulations to everyone who shipped a major release this month. If you are working on an open source project with an upcoming major version, the Release Radar repository accepts submissions for future editions.