The author proposed using Zopfli, a compression algorithm that yields smaller gzip-compatible files, to reduce npm package sizes by 5%. Despite the technical merits of this approach, which could enhance performance and storage costs, the proposal was ultimately rejected by npm maintainers. The author respects this decision, viewing it as appropriate considering the substantial speed disadvantage of Zopfli compared to gzip, which is critical given the dynamic nature of npm packages. This story serves to illustrate the balance between innovation and practicality in software development.
Zopfli creates gzip-compatible data that's smaller than other tools can, but it's much slower than regular gzip, making it ideal for static content.
While my proposal could have reduced npm package size by 5%, the maintainers decided against it, which I believe was the right call.
Collection
[
|
...
]