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One thing I have noticed over the years is that the front end community is becoming more and more a "let me google how to do it" kind of community. The tooling
by bcheung 10y ago
One thing I have noticed over the years is that the front end community is becoming more and more a "let me google how to do it" kind of community. The tooling ecosystem is so burdensome. Just to get a hello world app with React, Redux, Webpack, esLint, and ES6 takes forever. Sure there are starter boiler plates but they all don't seem to do quite what you need. Before it felt more like a solidly engineered app, now it feels a lot more like glueing various snippets from StackOverflow together.
I'm also finding the overhead from React / Redux very noisy. I have to do so much typing and define the same thing over and over across a bunch of different files just to do something simple.
I really like how Elm basically implements all of this with much cleaner syntax and works out of the box. It's too bad it doesn't have as much community behind it. I'd like to use it more but find it doesn't have enough community for me to consider using it for anything outside of home projects.
- fbonetti 10y agoI'm not sure why you've been downvoted. I absolutely LOVE that Elm simplifies the boiler plate of a front-end app. Instead of needing a dozen different packages and tools, you basically just need the Elm core library and you're good to go.
- ng12 10y agoI would only use React/Redux for a complex app that's going to be touched by a lot of people. That's where it really shines. Elm is a non-starter in these situations -- I can't seriously propose it for a project because the learning curve is astronomical. Also, I think simple Hello Worlds are a dangerous thing. They convince you that a tool solves all your problems until three months later when you notice your foot's been blown off.
- gjolund 10y agoThe learning curve is a weekend of reading. Elm is much SIMPLER than js, but not as EASY for you because it is new. If you are at all familiar with compilers, types, and functional programming it should all be review anyways. If not then you are missing a big part of your education and I would question your capabilities as a programmer.
- vcarl 10y ago> One thing I have noticed over the years is that the front end community is becoming more and more a "let me google how to do it" kind of community. Odd, I have the opposite impression. I view a lot of web developers as the self taught, figured it out for themself kind of folk. I see React as a counterpoint, pulling in ideas from more academic or enterprise-y parts of the field (functional programming, significant tooling, emphasis on correctness).
- gjolund 10y agoThe elm community is definitely growing. I see posts here almost daily about it, and if you really want to write it full time the positions are out there.