Google Sheets ported its calculation worker from JavaScript to WasmGC (web.dev)

Article summary

Google Sheets has ported its calculation worker from JavaScript to WasmGC, a technology that allows garbage-collected languages like Java to run on the web at near-native speed. The move was made to improve performance, as the JavaScript version of the calculation engine was more than three times slower than the Java version. The Sheets team worked with the Chrome team to develop and optimize the WasmGC version, which now achieves a calculation performance approximately twice as fast as JavaScript. This partnership set a precedent for how engineering teams at Google can work with Chrome to have more Google apps running on WasmGC.

Main themes

• WasmGC technology
• Google Sheets performance optimization
• JavaScript vs Java performance
• WebAssembly
• Garbage-collected languages
• Browser support

What commenters say

• The lack of a published date on the article makes it difficult to understand the context and relevance of the information.
• Hiding publication dates is a common practice to make content appear evergreen, but it can be misleading and unhelpful for readers.
• The use of WasmGC technology has the potential to bring high-performance applications to the web, but it may not be suitable for all use cases.
• Google's decision to support only certain browsers, such as Chrome, may be seen as limiting and potentially anti-competitive.
• The existence of competing office suites, such as Microsoft Office, does not necessarily preclude Google from being considered a monopoly in the office apps space.
• The optimization of WasmGC for Google Sheets is an important step towards improving the performance of web applications, but the final outcome and comparison to JavaScript performance are not clearly stated.
• The use of WasmGC may not change the equation for browser support, and Google may still need to make efforts to support multiple browsers.
• The transparency of publication dates and updates is important for credibility and trustworthiness of online sources.