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Ask HN: Is there a sane alternative to Angular and React?

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Ask HN: Is there a sane alternative to Angular and React?

#1

Post by martijn_himself »

Slightly tongue-in-cheek but nonetheless serious question. I've recently started looking into JavaScript UI frameworks and have the uneasy feeling they are actually worse than the now defunct Flash and Silverlight.

Angular and React seem to be a mish-mash of proprietary syntax and technologies (AtScript, JSX, TypeScript etc.) that paper over some of the cracks in JavaScript and CSS.

Are these transitory technologies that will be replaced by something better in the near future? Is there a better alternative available today?

Re: Ask HN: Is there a sane alternative to Angular and React?

#2

Post by elviejo »

Excellent question. Turns out there is: http://elm-lang.org

Is a Haskell inspired programming language that makes developing front end a delight.

It helps to build Reliable front ends. Watch this conference to get a sense of what Elm does. Making the Backend Team Jelous[1]

Plus the Elm architecture makes everything orderly and easy to understand.

Quite a change from the mess of react components and Angular rewrites.

[1] https://youtu.be/FV0DXNB94NE

Re: Ask HN: Is there a sane alternative to Angular and React?

#3

Post by elviejo »

Excellent question. Turns out there is: http://elm-lang.org

Is a Haskell inspired programming language that makes developing front end a delight.

It helps to build Reliable front ends. Watch this conference to get a sense of what Elm does. Making the Backend Team Jelous[1]

Plus the Elm architecture makes everything orderly and easy to understand.

Quite a change from the mess of react components and Angular rewrites.

[1] https://youtu.be/FV0DXNB94NE

Re: Ask HN: Is there a sane alternative to Angular and React?

#4

Post by fiiv »

Both TypeScript and JSX are optional, you don't have to use either with them.

There is a ton of different choices out there to choose from if React and Angular are not your thing.

One example: Ember.js recently moved their rendering into a standalone library called Glimmer (https://glimmerjs.com), which is a bit React-like in its approach but nonetheless different. They advocate Typescript as well but don't require it.

Elm seems like a thing people like as well, check it out here: http://elm-lang.org - but it's a js compiler so it's also what you might classify as a "proprietary" tech.

If you haven't already, check out http://todomvc.com - it's the same sample todo app built in a buttload of frameworks so you can compare which one you like.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a sane alternative to Angular and React?

#5

Post by martijn_himself »

elviejo wrote: post #2

Excellent question. Turns out there is: http://elm-lang.org Is a Haskell inspired programming language that makes developing front end a delight. It helps to build Reliable front ends. Watch this conference to get a sense of what Elm does. Making the Backend Team Jelous[1] Plus the Elm architecture makes everything orderly and easy to understand. Quite a change from the mess of react components and Angular rewrites.…

This looks great, and thanks for providing the links. Is Elm production ready? Have you used it to build any apps?

Re: Ask HN: Is there a sane alternative to Angular and React?

#6

Post by martijn_himself »

fiiv wrote: post #4

Both TypeScript and JSX are optional, you don't have to use either with them. There is a ton of different choices out there to choose from if React and Angular are not your thing. One example: Ember.js recently moved their rendering into a standalone library called Glimmer ( https://glimmerjs.com ), which is a bit React-like in its approach but nonetheless different. They advocate Typescript as well but don't require…

It is interesting you are the second person replying in this thread to point to Elm. I must check it out!

I suppose both TypeScript and JSX are optional but they are symptomatic in a way in that their existence suggests the alternatives are sub-optimal (i.e. a combination plain JavaScript or a clear demarcation of markup and styling).

Re: Ask HN: Is there a sane alternative to Angular and React?

#7

Post by daleholborow »

http://aurelia.io/

I am a backend guy with some experience in Angular 1.5, Backbone etc, but currently dabbling in the front end again, and Aurelia looks pretty cool. It seems like the least "learn our custom syntax and voodoo" option, so I'm going to give it a spin.

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