5 ms·

Feels like Typescript is building (or has built up?) more momentum than Flow.

treve 10y ago
I don't think Typescript has ever not been bigger, but could be wrong here.
Vekz 10y ago
Its true and unfortunate. Typescript is the new Coffeescript. It splits the ecosystem. Flow is a progressive enhancement and improves the ecosystem. Typescript has had more push in the mindshare marketing from Microsoft.
- wereHamster 10y ago
  TypeScript doesn't split the community any more than Flow does. TypeScript remains very close to ES2016/2017, syntax-wise, with the only major difference being type annotations, but you have those with flow as well. Anybody who can read JavaScript can read TypeScript.
  - thejameskyle 10y ago
    Flow tries to integrate with the existing ecosystem as much as possible. By taking advantage of Babel, ESLint, Atom, etc. With Flow you don't even have to opt-in to a new syntax. You can just use comments: function foo(val /* : boolean */) /* : string */ {} Using really powerful inference you can also write much fewer types. If you have well types libraries [you sometimes don't need types in your code at all](https://medium.com/@thejameskyle/flow-mapping-an-object-373d64c44592 https://medium.com/@thejameskyle/flow-mapping-an-object-373d...).
    - josteink 10y ago
      > With Flow you don't even have to opt-in to a new syntax. You can just use comments: So you use a opt-in comment-based syntax instead of a opt-in non-comment based one for type-annotations. Hardly a big difference. > Using really powerful inference you can also write much fewer types I'm just going to assume you didn't know typescript does this too. Typescript is nice. You should give it a try once. You may end up surprised:)
      - coltonv 10y ago
        Comments don't change it from being valid javascript whatsoever.
    - djmashko2 10y ago
      > By taking advantage of Babel, ESLint, Atom, etc. Doesn't TypeScript actually predate all of those tools? So that logic doesn't seem reasonable.
plexicle 10y ago
I'm having trouble remember when Flow was bigger than TS at any point?
ggregoire 10y ago
I see 2 main reasons: - TS has been released before Flow - TS has the support of the Angular community
whatever_dude 10y ago
I may be biased (use and really like TS) but I think it's not even a comparison in terms of popularity Google Trends https://www.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0n50hxv,facebook%20flow%20%2B%20flow%20language%20%2B%20flowtype https://www.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0n50... NPM Downloads https://npm-stat.com/charts.html?package=typescript&package=flow-bin&from=2015-01-01&to=2016-12-07 https://npm-stat.com/charts.html?package=typescript&package=...
jiaweihli 10y ago
Very early on, Typescript cleverly built up an ecosystem around community-supported type definitions for popular js libraries. This makes type-checking and integration for those libraries dead simple. 2 years later, Flow is _still_ lagging behind in this area. [1] I'm not certain, but I think this may be due to Typescript allowing for a external header-like file while Flow requires inline types. For this reason I believe, as many other commenters have noted, Typescript has nearly always been ahead of Flow in popularity. [1] https://github.com/facebook/flow/issues/7 https://github.com/facebook/flow/issues/7
- Noseshine 10y ago
  I don't understand what you mean by this may be due to Typescript allowing for a external header-like file while Flow requires inline types. Flow supports external declaration files. I use them all the time for 3rd party modules.
  - jiaweihli 10y ago
    You're right, this has been added recently and there's also now a community effort around 3rd party modules. [1] Though it looks like it didn't become active until after at least 03/2016 [2]. I mention this only because TypeScript has been active in this area since 10/2012 [3], which is in-line with the original intent of my comment - that Flow is over 2 years (closer to 3.5 years) behind in building this out. [1] https://github.com/flowtype/flow-typed https://github.com/flowtype/flow-typed [2] https://github.com/flowtype/flow-typed/graphs/contributors https://github.com/flowtype/flow-typed/graphs/contributors [3] https://github.com/DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped/graphs/contributors https://github.com/DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped/graphs/co...

treve 10y ago

I don't think Typescript has ever not been bigger, but could be wrong here.

Vekz 10y ago

Its true and unfortunate. Typescript is the new Coffeescript. It splits the ecosystem. Flow is a progressive enhancement and improves the ecosystem. Typescript has had more push in the mindshare marketing from Microsoft.

wereHamster 10y ago
TypeScript doesn't split the community any more than Flow does. TypeScript remains very close to ES2016/2017, syntax-wise, with the only major difference being type annotations, but you have those with flow as well. Anybody who can read JavaScript can read TypeScript.
- thejameskyle 10y ago
  Flow tries to integrate with the existing ecosystem as much as possible. By taking advantage of Babel, ESLint, Atom, etc. With Flow you don't even have to opt-in to a new syntax. You can just use comments: function foo(val /* : boolean */) /* : string */ {} Using really powerful inference you can also write much fewer types. If you have well types libraries [you sometimes don't need types in your code at all](https://medium.com/@thejameskyle/flow-mapping-an-object-373d64c44592 https://medium.com/@thejameskyle/flow-mapping-an-object-373d...).
  - josteink 10y ago
    > With Flow you don't even have to opt-in to a new syntax. You can just use comments: So you use a opt-in comment-based syntax instead of a opt-in non-comment based one for type-annotations. Hardly a big difference. > Using really powerful inference you can also write much fewer types I'm just going to assume you didn't know typescript does this too. Typescript is nice. You should give it a try once. You may end up surprised:)
    - coltonv 10y ago
      Comments don't change it from being valid javascript whatsoever.
  - djmashko2 10y ago
    > By taking advantage of Babel, ESLint, Atom, etc. Doesn't TypeScript actually predate all of those tools? So that logic doesn't seem reasonable.

plexicle 10y ago

I'm having trouble remember when Flow was bigger than TS at any point?

ggregoire 10y ago

I see 2 main reasons: - TS has been released before Flow - TS has the support of the Angular community

whatever_dude 10y ago

I may be biased (use and really like TS) but I think it's not even a comparison in terms of popularity Google Trends https://www.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0n50hxv,facebook%20flow%20%2B%20flow%20language%20%2B%20flowtype https://www.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F0n50... NPM Downloads https://npm-stat.com/charts.html?package=typescript&package=flow-bin&from=2015-01-01&to=2016-12-07 https://npm-stat.com/charts.html?package=typescript&package=...

jiaweihli 10y ago

Very early on, Typescript cleverly built up an ecosystem around community-supported type definitions for popular js libraries. This makes type-checking and integration for those libraries dead simple. 2 years later, Flow is _still_ lagging behind in this area. [1] I'm not certain, but I think this may be due to Typescript allowing for a external header-like file while Flow requires inline types. For this reason I believe, as many other commenters have noted, Typescript has nearly always been ahead of Flow in popularity. [1] https://github.com/facebook/flow/issues/7 https://github.com/facebook/flow/issues/7

Noseshine 10y ago
I don't understand what you mean by this may be due to Typescript allowing for a external header-like file while Flow requires inline types. Flow supports external declaration files. I use them all the time for 3rd party modules.
- jiaweihli 10y ago
  You're right, this has been added recently and there's also now a community effort around 3rd party modules. [1] Though it looks like it didn't become active until after at least 03/2016 [2]. I mention this only because TypeScript has been active in this area since 10/2012 [3], which is in-line with the original intent of my comment - that Flow is over 2 years (closer to 3.5 years) behind in building this out. [1] https://github.com/flowtype/flow-typed https://github.com/flowtype/flow-typed [2] https://github.com/flowtype/flow-typed/graphs/contributors https://github.com/flowtype/flow-typed/graphs/contributors [3] https://github.com/DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped/graphs/contributors https://github.com/DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped/graphs/co...