Overview of new features and improvements in Elixir v1.18

Elixir v1.18 introduces major improvements focused on type checking, language server features, and testing. This release continues the implementation of a type system allowing for static type inference. Notable features include type checking of function calls and the ability to handle tuples and lists. There’s an emphasis on gradually introducing the type system while keeping it developer-friendly through dynamic typing. Additionally, the Language Server features have been enhanced to avoid duplicate compilation efforts by allowing multiple Elixir instances to share compilation results. Built-in JSON support has been added, providing a new JSON module for encoding and decoding data, mirroring the functionality of the previously used Jason library. The ExUnit testing framework now supports parameterized tests and groups, improving the efficiency of running tests in varied conditions. More updates include a new flag in mix format for handling deprecated constructs and adjustments that strive for consistent codebases. Overall, these enhancements reflect ongoing efforts to improve developer experience and code reliability within the Elixir ecosystem.