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As a front end developer doing a lot of UI work in AngularJS, where does Haxe fit for me?

btipling 13y ago
Haxe "compiles" to JavaScript. So I imagine it may be suitable as a replacement for JavaScript if you wanted such a thing.
- city41 13y ago
  Using a program to convert from one language to another is "compiling". The recent backlash against the notion that Haxe, CoffeeScript, etc compile to JavaScript is annoying. The act of compiling does not require going to an object code based language.
  - rys 13y ago
    Agreed, plus we also have a better word than compile for source-to-source compilation at the same conceptual level of abstraction above the machine: transpile.
Cushman 13y ago
The primary benefit is portability-- it compiles not just to JS, but AS and native mobile and desktop code as well. That's a life saver for small game devs, but if it's not a killer feature for you then you probably wouldn't see much reason to use it.
- jdonaldson 13y ago
  There's plenty of reasons to use haxe even if you never use cross-platform development: Type safety, macros, dead code elimination, etc.
justsee 13y ago
You can experiment with a language-lovers language that compiles to multiple targets. Many of the quirks and frustrations that you may only hit on a project-by-project basis are constantly raised and solved in the community, so you get a broader understanding of the issues currently faced in the JavaScript, Android, iOS, BlackBerry and various other development communities. In your current work that may not be relevant, but as a side interest the depth and breadth of your understanding will be accelerated by osmosis within the Haxe community. It represents more than many communities a bit of a campfire of programmers from different backgrounds who have a shared passion for games and apps. That enthusiasm can stir up your passion for programming if you find yourself in a bit of a language or framework rut. It's still a small community, so that brings with it the usual frustrations, challenges, and opportunities. If you're a driven developer wanting to make an impact, there are a lot of low-hanging fruits in Haxe to be picked, so it's a good runway if you're wanting to build a personal brand. There are also very interesting initiatives like HaxeNME that are threatening to break out from their niche, and in a multi-device world, it's starting to look like quite a compelling open source offering.

Haxe "compiles" to JavaScript. So I imagine it may be suitable as a replacement for JavaScript if you wanted such a thing.

city41 13y ago
Using a program to convert from one language to another is "compiling". The recent backlash against the notion that Haxe, CoffeeScript, etc compile to JavaScript is annoying. The act of compiling does not require going to an object code based language.
- rys 13y ago
  Agreed, plus we also have a better word than compile for source-to-source compilation at the same conceptual level of abstraction above the machine: transpile.

Cushman 13y ago

The primary benefit is portability-- it compiles not just to JS, but AS and native mobile and desktop code as well. That's a life saver for small game devs, but if it's not a killer feature for you then you probably wouldn't see much reason to use it.

jdonaldson 13y ago
There's plenty of reasons to use haxe even if you never use cross-platform development: Type safety, macros, dead code elimination, etc.

justsee 13y ago

You can experiment with a language-lovers language that compiles to multiple targets. Many of the quirks and frustrations that you may only hit on a project-by-project basis are constantly raised and solved in the community, so you get a broader understanding of the issues currently faced in the JavaScript, Android, iOS, BlackBerry and various other development communities. In your current work that may not be relevant, but as a side interest the depth and breadth of your understanding will be accelerated by osmosis within the Haxe community. It represents more than many communities a bit of a campfire of programmers from different backgrounds who have a shared passion for games and apps. That enthusiasm can stir up your passion for programming if you find yourself in a bit of a language or framework rut. It's still a small community, so that brings with it the usual frustrations, challenges, and opportunities. If you're a driven developer wanting to make an impact, there are a lot of low-hanging fruits in Haxe to be picked, so it's a good runway if you're wanting to build a personal brand. There are also very interesting initiatives like HaxeNME that are threatening to break out from their niche, and in a multi-device world, it's starting to look like quite a compelling open source offering.