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Discussion on: Practical Ways to Write Better JavaScript

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wlcdesigns profile image
wLc

I agree. Typescript is unnecessary and it speaks more to the inexperience of the developer using javascript than enforcing good practice. I am a huge proponent of TDD (Test Driven Development), which innately forces the developer to gain a more in depth understanding of javascript and functional programming.

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cubiclebuddha profile image
Cubicle Buddha • Edited

I have been programming for decades and most of that time has been in 100% in JavaScript. I prefer TypeScript and have used it exclusively on the backend and front end for 3 years now.

speaks more to the inexperience of the developer

So if I am an experienced developer and tech lead... maybe... just maybe there is a reason why I’ve chosen TypeScript. Use the best tool for the job.

Additionally, I only write in a functional style. TypeScript has never impaired my ability to write FP. Map reduce for life. Btw, ImmutableJS and Ramda have great type definitions. And as someone above said: Haskell has types. So... what’s your response to that?

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olvnikon profile image
Vladimir • Edited

The biggest problem of typescript that it is not sound. It forces you to always write complex type calculations. For FP it is very essential. When I used reasonml I was focused on writing the code. Flow also fits much better because of the same reason. Try to add types to a reduce function or to transducers. Typescript is not strict even in the strictest mode. Type casting to unknown to whatever or adding exclamation marks to the code. React works much better with Flow than with typescript. After switching to typescript I feel more like types developer.