Kickstarter: Make a Better CoffeeScript Compiler • Hacker News Board

Re: Kickstarter: Make a Better CoffeeScript Compiler

#31

Post by lynaghk » Sat, Apr 14, 2012, 5:09 PM UTC

drcode wrote: post #4

One feature that would be helpful is support for the Google Closure Compiler's "Advanced Mode" in the generated javascript (coffeescript right now stumbles with the property renaming, especially when destructuring is used) I wish I could run this powerful "whole program optimizer" against my coffeescript code.

I have a CoffeeScript fork (based on Michael Bolin's work) targeting Google Closure's Advanced mode here:

https://github.com/lynaghk/coffee-script

The motivating use case for me is that ClojureScript (the Clojure->JS compiler) is built on Closure, and when I've wanted to integrate third party JS into my ClojureScript projects I've found it easier to port JS to CoffeeScript than to annotate the existing JS for use with advanced mode.

Re: Kickstarter: Make a Better CoffeeScript Compiler

#32

Post by TamDenholm » Sat, Apr 14, 2012, 5:19 PM UTC

GuiA wrote: post #28

michaelficarra wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kickstarter allows me to add rewards after the project has started. What kind of rewards would you like to see?

+ You want to have rewards in lower donation brackets. Right now there's nothing between $25 and $200 — if I were to donate, I'd likely donate more than 25, but less than 200. You probably want rewards at the 50, 75, 150 levels. + Most projects offer tangible rewards (posters, booklets, figurines, keychains, tees-shirts etc.) that are just cool to have for any self-respecting geek. Unfortunately you're a software ent…

Perhaps you could find a sponsor to offer some free give away items like t-shirts etc to donors, in return they get mentioned in the kickstarter, the email list and throughout the project. I imagine any startup would happily back this, if you managed to get one that used coffeescript that'd be even better.

Re: Kickstarter: Make a Better CoffeeScript Compiler

#33

Post by jrockway » Sat, Apr 14, 2012, 5:23 PM UTC

krelian wrote: post #10

Someone capable of writing this kind of software will earn much more than $3000 per month at a full time job. I understand that this is probably not a for-profit project but if the guy can dedicate 4 full time months to this than he: 1) Can work full time 2) Needs the money Why not find a regular programming job that will pay you much more?He is obviously skilled enough to be hired.

Why not find a regular programming job that will pay you much more?He is obviously skilled enough to be hired.

Because he would have to work on something that wouldn't interest him as much as his own project, and because he would have to show up regularly. When you gather funds to work on an open source project, all you have to do is hang out at home and work on your pet project when you're in the mood. That's good work even when you're not getting paid.

Re: Kickstarter: Make a Better CoffeeScript Compiler

#34

Post by rbxbx » Sat, Apr 14, 2012, 5:29 PM UTC

ksec wrote: post #9

Is making those compiler features simple and easy? I was wondering why Rails.app need $25,000 while this is like half the price.

Also bear in mind that the community behind Rails is more mature, and a lot more companies have stake in it being an effective solution than do CoffeeScript, not to mention the fact that Yehuda Katz probably has a bit more reach than Michael Ficarra.

... also also a student's cost of living as opposed to a seasoned software engineer's is probably pretty disparate (for better or worse).

Re: Kickstarter: Make a Better CoffeeScript Compiler

#35

Post by flywheel » Sat, Apr 14, 2012, 5:47 PM UTC

TrevorBurnham wrote: post #7

I'm pledging $1,000 to this. As the author of the PragProg book on CoffeeScript ( http://pragprog.com/book/tbcoffee/coffeescript ), I have a stake in making CoffeeScript a more mainstream tool, and I believe that Michael's project will greatly advance this cause. The use of CoffeeScript has become fairly widespread at startups (GitHub, 37signals, many YC alums...) but not in larger enterprises. One reason for this is…

You're spending so much effort to distance yourself from javascript, when javascript isn't difficult, and coffeescript doesn't solve many problems while introducing its own problems. You must be a masochist if you support coffeescript so much and just refuse to code javascript. It's just such a backwards way to develop. Coffeescript is not becoming "widespread", and it doesn't require a "hacker mentality", it is simply a syntax fetish that dithers modern web development. It is a "made-up" language that has been way over-hyped to the point that people start believing that it's a good thing to stick yet another abstraction layer between the DOM and the code. Updates to coffeescript have broken existing code, how is this a good thing? Good luck with that.

Re: Kickstarter: Make a Better CoffeeScript Compiler

#36

Post by flywheel » Sat, Apr 14, 2012, 5:48 PM UTC

TrevorBurnham wrote: post #30

tkahn6 wrote: post #23

Is there any reason the compiler should be written in Javascript? I know it's pretty cool to have a language's compiler written in itself, but what if Javascript isn't the best environment to write a compiler?

What's really nice about the compiler being in JavaScript is that you can run JavaScript anywhere: in the browser, on any OS, embedded in any major web framework. If the compiler were written in any other language, you'd have to worry about dependencies. This applies to HTML and CSS preprocessors as well: I'd advocate Jade over Haml and Stylus or Less over Sass, simply because Jade and Stylus/Less aren't tied to the…

"What's really nice about the compiler being in JavaScript is that you can run JavaScript anywhere: in the browser, on any OS, embedded in any major web framework. If the compiler were written in any other language, you'd have to worry about dependencies."

You really can't see the irony of this statement, can you.

Re: Kickstarter: Make a Better CoffeeScript Compiler

#37

Post by strager » Sat, Apr 14, 2012, 5:57 PM UTC

roryokane wrote: post #11

gren wrote: post #3

I like CoffeeScript but I see it as a temporary language providing cool syntax features on top of Javascript. no offense but IMHO, we should focus on releasing the next Javascript and make it possible instead of writing better CoffeeScript compilers.

The problem is that making a better JavaScript you can actually use is a lot harder than making a better CoffeeScript. If you make a better CoffeeScript, you just have to write one compiler for it, written in JavaScript. If you make a better JavaScript, you have to lobby all of the major browser vendors to accept it. And then you have to wait for the browser teams to write the compiler. And even if you write the comp…

What prevents "new" JavaScript from being compiled like CS is being compiled now?

Re: Kickstarter: Make a Better CoffeeScript Compiler

#38

Post by alexis-d » Sat, Apr 14, 2012, 6:02 PM UTC

TrevorBurnham wrote: post #30

tkahn6 wrote: post #23

Is there any reason the compiler should be written in Javascript? I know it's pretty cool to have a language's compiler written in itself, but what if Javascript isn't the best environment to write a compiler?

What's really nice about the compiler being in JavaScript is that you can run JavaScript anywhere: in the browser, on any OS, embedded in any major web framework. If the compiler were written in any other language, you'd have to worry about dependencies. This applies to HTML and CSS preprocessors as well: I'd advocate Jade over Haml and Stylus or Less over Sass, simply because Jade and Stylus/Less aren't tied to the…

Isn't Less written in JS now?

Re: Kickstarter: Make a Better CoffeeScript Compiler

#39

Post by icebraining » Sat, Apr 14, 2012, 6:02 PM UTC

evincarofautumn wrote: post #6

I have this hope, however irrational, that compilers and similar projects become more common on Kickstarter. This is currently the only search result for “compiler”, which feels…wrong, somehow. If I’m not doing anything else this summer, I might just put up a language project and see if I don’t get laughed off the stage. Of course, it’s hard to offer good “prizes” (or whatever—Kickstarter doesn’t seem to have a term…

“prizes” (or whatever—Kickstarter doesn’t seem to have a term for them)

They call them Rewards: http://www.kickstarter.com/help/faq/creating%20a%20project#W...

Re: Kickstarter: Make a Better CoffeeScript Compiler

#40

Post by brico » Sat, Apr 14, 2012, 6:04 PM UTC

michaelficarra wrote: post #26

petercooper wrote: post #22

Separate to the idea itself, this KS made me realise there's an art to choosing the right rewards and levels. Some KS are just irrestible to donate to partly because they get the rewards just right. Others, like this one IMHO, don't make the most of it.

Kickstarter allows me to add rewards after the project has started. What kind of rewards would you like to see?

Maybe you can register a domain or add a directory to an existing domain of yours where you create a project page.

You can blog about your progress, you can offer adspace on your page which might sell better than a name/company in the readme.