This isn't recent news, but I am very happy that the raspberry pi org updated the firmware this year to support USB boot on the Pi 4. I had been using a Pi 3B with USB boot. Then I switched to a Pi 4, the 2 GB model (because that was what was in stock at the store). It was great for a while, I used it as my internet surfing and part-time programming machine. But when I opened too many browser tabs, the memory would fill up. I'd keep a terminal open with htop running to keep a watch on it.
I used this guide from tom's hardware.
https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/boot-raspberry-pi-4-usb
It's very easy. Set a few things using the new options in raspi-config. Then copy my SD card I was using to boot from, to a USB SSD device. Reboot.
I used a small 120 GB SSD drive in the USB 3 port. It's like I have a new computer now. Or more like I have a 4 GB Pi 4. I set the swap on the SSD to be 2 GB, so I have more room to surf. And of course the SSD is faster than a fast SD card. The web surfing is much better. I can have 10 or 15 tabs open no problem.
