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Thanks for this article. When I started playing with React (and seriously, I'm just playing right now), it felt to me like the whole MVC concept wasn't necessar

by beat 13y ago

Thanks for this article. When I started playing with React (and seriously, I'm just playing right now), it felt to me like the whole MVC concept wasn't necessary, because I could just move state changes around to the correct places via the virtual DOM. But I'm not a front end guy at heart. I don't have the deep knowledge that the world of MVC masters do. I have a rule of thumb that when I find myself disagreeing with people I consider smarter and more experienced than me, I question my assumptions before questioning the experts. It doesn't mean I always bow to them, but I don't assume I am right because I'm so dang smart, even if that's the case much of the time. :) So when I find myself questioning the very necessity of a full MVC framework within the context of a React-powered application, I felt I should just withhold judgment for a while. This article by someone much more experienced than me lays out what I was feeling instinctively. Excellent.

davedx 13y ago
It's nice to see people are finding React solves their problems, but keep in mind it's still very new tech. Be wary when you read things like this: "It took me a short time to get it and as soon as I got it, I felt like there is no problem that cannot be modeled decently with this system." I've been working with React for several months now, and do not have the same opinion. React solves some problems very well, but I'm not convinced at all that it solves application architecture better than "traditional" MV* JavaScript frameworks.
- beat 13y ago
  Do you have an opinion on blending it with other MV* frameworks, and what works well? I was originally thinking Angular for this work, but I liked working with React so much... would React integrate better into Angular, or Backbone, or something else? Again, not much of a front end guy. Last time I did serious front end was several years ago, when I spent 3 months coding in Sencha (and arguing with sloppy coders who liked the pretty Sencha widgets but didn't see the value of using the MVC pattern, grrr). I just want to be able to build a nice, modern front end with minimal grief, learning curve, or dogma. Is that so much to ask?
  - davedx 13y ago
    It depends on what you're building. Our app is very frontend/interaction heavy, but it's only reading data so we don't need much in the way of a framework to manage that. We're currently using React with our own simple router and event system to tie things together. If I had to try and break it down, I'd say something like this. Mobile/embedded app, or desktop app with heavy interaction/DOM changes: React, maybe some bits of Backbone Desktop app, forms and widgets/advanced controls: Angular Backbone is great because you can pick and choose bits of it, and it's very well documented code. Angular is nice for the complete "out of the box" solution for a web app; you get lots for free when it comes to testing too. I've not used other frameworks. YMMV. The best way to choose these is pick one and try it, and keep in mind sometimes you need to stick with it a while before you can really make an informed decision. Hope that helps! :)

by beat 13y ago

davedx 13y ago

It's nice to see people are finding React solves their problems, but keep in mind it's still very new tech. Be wary when you read things like this: "It took me a short time to get it and as soon as I got it, I felt like there is no problem that cannot be modeled decently with this system." I've been working with React for several months now, and do not have the same opinion. React solves some problems very well, but I'm not convinced at all that it solves application architecture better than "traditional" MV* JavaScript frameworks.

beat 13y ago
Do you have an opinion on blending it with other MV* frameworks, and what works well? I was originally thinking Angular for this work, but I liked working with React so much... would React integrate better into Angular, or Backbone, or something else? Again, not much of a front end guy. Last time I did serious front end was several years ago, when I spent 3 months coding in Sencha (and arguing with sloppy coders who liked the pretty Sencha widgets but didn't see the value of using the MVC pattern, grrr). I just want to be able to build a nice, modern front end with minimal grief, learning curve, or dogma. Is that so much to ask?
- davedx 13y ago
  It depends on what you're building. Our app is very frontend/interaction heavy, but it's only reading data so we don't need much in the way of a framework to manage that. We're currently using React with our own simple router and event system to tie things together. If I had to try and break it down, I'd say something like this. Mobile/embedded app, or desktop app with heavy interaction/DOM changes: React, maybe some bits of Backbone Desktop app, forms and widgets/advanced controls: Angular Backbone is great because you can pick and choose bits of it, and it's very well documented code. Angular is nice for the complete "out of the box" solution for a web app; you get lots for free when it comes to testing too. I've not used other frameworks. YMMV. The best way to choose these is pick one and try it, and keep in mind sometimes you need to stick with it a while before you can really make an informed decision. Hope that helps! :)