With VS Code 1.81, the diff editor includes several new features and bug fixes, and the new diff algorithm is enabled by default.

The way most software is updated is through binary diff algorithms. What the developer does is compare the current software with the new version to find the places where the machine code ...

But the real gems in the write-up are things like tree-sitter and a lucid description of the algorithm (borrowed from autochrome) for working out the minimal set of changes.