Show HN: DubJS: A New Way to Build Web Apps • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: DubJS: A New Way to Build Web Apps

#21

Post by keen » Tue, Sep 11, 2012, 2:38 PM UTC

timruffles wrote: post #19

keen wrote: post #2

Hi HN, This is my side-project that I've been working on for a while. It would mean a great deal if you'd give me some feedback.

I can't see how the compiled code for Type is supposed to work? If you deference a JS function from an object, you lose the context of `this`. So in Ruby.prototype.cut = function () { this.shape(); this.polish(); }; var old = Ruby.prototype.cut; Ruby.prototype.cut = function () { old(); this.engrave(); }; `Ruby.prototype.cut` will be called with `window` as `this`, so `this.shape` will be undefined. Use `old.call(thi…

You're right. I knew I'd miss something! Thanks for catching my mistake.

Re: Show HN: DubJS: A New Way to Build Web Apps

#22

Post by dpriddle » Tue, Sep 11, 2012, 2:57 PM UTC

As long as it doesn't become abandonware, I could certainly see this serving a niche segment of developers. There continues to exist a surprisingly large number of RAD tools on the market despite many having innate limitations that drastically limit their scope and applicability.

But they continue to exist because there are countless businesses demanding customized software for cheap. My thought is that a tool like this could very well be a welcome addition to the marketplace if it lowered the bar to entry of building web apps by a not-insignificant margin.

As long as DubJS isn't viewed as an effort to replace standard web app development, but merely another way for getting from A to Z that some developers find useful, I think it has a lot of promise!

Re: Show HN: DubJS: A New Way to Build Web Apps

#23

Post by keen » Tue, Sep 11, 2012, 5:50 PM UTC

mmariani wrote: post #17

keen wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for your honest feedback. Would you mind explaining what you mean by "the lack of opinionated language design infers on code"? Are you referring to the fact that it's not specialised for either layout or presentation?

No. Javascript is just a general purpose language. It could very well serve as a DSL for layout or presentation. But the browsers already have that, it's called HTML and CSS. What I'm referring to is Javascript syntax. It's way too ambiguous which often leeds to programming errors. For instance: the global variables gaffe, the scope mess, the sloppy prototypal implementation, etc. Hiding that behind a compiler doesn'…

For what it's worth, my intention is to overcome some of those issues that you mention. First, I assume you're talking about accidental pollution of the global scope (by omitting 'var'), which can be avoided: see CoffeeScript. Also, I have some ideas to improve the 'scope mess', as well as prototypes.

Re: Show HN: DubJS: A New Way to Build Web Apps

#24

Post by keen » Tue, Sep 11, 2012, 5:54 PM UTC

dpriddle wrote: post #22

As long as it doesn't become abandonware, I could certainly see this serving a niche segment of developers. There continues to exist a surprisingly large number of RAD tools on the market despite many having innate limitations that drastically limit their scope and applicability. But they continue to exist because there are countless businesses demanding customized software for cheap. My thought is that a tool like t…

Agreed, it's not meant to be a universal replacement for standard web development, but as useful option where appropriate.

Thanks for your kind words.