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I've started using ES6 sans 'transpiler' for web development on Chrome. There's still the build step for release to other browsers, but so far I haven't bothere

I've started using ES6 sans 'transpiler' for web development on Chrome. There's still the build step for release to other browsers, but so far I haven't bothered. (I think your decision is completely reasonable; only pointing out that since just this month, with Chrome 49 out, you can develop without any build step.)

david-given 11y ago
Yup. I'm working on a Polymer project in ES6. I develop in Chrome with it pointing directly at my source, so I get a full debugger and quick reloads by hitting the F5 button. Then I use crisper/babel/vulcanise via a ninja build script to generate an ES5 deployment package for the other browsers. It works really well. (ES6 is so, so much nicer than ES5. It's almost like a real language now!)
- voltagex_ 11y ago
  Is there anything you can share of that ninja script? I've been looking at it as a replacement for environments where grunt doesn't work too well.
  - david-given 11y ago
    Sure --- it's a mess, though. https://github.com/davidgiven/gruntle/blob/gruntle/build.ninja https://github.com/davidgiven/gruntle/blob/gruntle/build.nin... https://github.com/davidgiven/gruntle/blob/gruntle/build https://github.com/davidgiven/gruntle/blob/gruntle/build build is a tiny Lua preprocessor which expands templates in build.ninja. It needs a cleanup but it works, it's way faster than gulp, and is much easier to debug. Haven't touched grunt so I don't know how it compares there.
    - voltagex_ 11y ago
      Thanks. Could I get away without the Lua?
      - david-given 11y ago
        Yes, but you'd need to expand the source file rules inline --- I added the Lua because I was fed up with doing it by hand. (Ninja doesn't have implicit rules.)
deleted 11y ago
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bzbarsky 11y ago
Note that other browsers (specifically Firefox and Edge) generally have better ES6 support than Chrome does, so a "build step" is not needed for them unless you happen to be using one of the very few things that Chrome supports and they do not.

david-given 11y ago

Yup. I'm working on a Polymer project in ES6. I develop in Chrome with it pointing directly at my source, so I get a full debugger and quick reloads by hitting the F5 button. Then I use crisper/babel/vulcanise via a ninja build script to generate an ES5 deployment package for the other browsers. It works really well. (ES6 is so, so much nicer than ES5. It's almost like a real language now!)

voltagex_ 11y ago
Is there anything you can share of that ninja script? I've been looking at it as a replacement for environments where grunt doesn't work too well.
- david-given 11y ago
  Sure --- it's a mess, though. https://github.com/davidgiven/gruntle/blob/gruntle/build.ninja https://github.com/davidgiven/gruntle/blob/gruntle/build.nin... https://github.com/davidgiven/gruntle/blob/gruntle/build https://github.com/davidgiven/gruntle/blob/gruntle/build build is a tiny Lua preprocessor which expands templates in build.ninja. It needs a cleanup but it works, it's way faster than gulp, and is much easier to debug. Haven't touched grunt so I don't know how it compares there.
  - voltagex_ 11y ago
    Thanks. Could I get away without the Lua?
    - david-given 11y ago
      Yes, but you'd need to expand the source file rules inline --- I added the Lua because I was fed up with doing it by hand. (Ninja doesn't have implicit rules.)

deleted 11y ago

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bzbarsky 11y ago

Note that other browsers (specifically Firefox and Edge) generally have better ES6 support than Chrome does, so a "build step" is not needed for them unless you happen to be using one of the very few things that Chrome supports and they do not.