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React Native: Initial Thoughts

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Re: React Native: Initial Thoughts

#71
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you overestimate Node's popularity, compared to other languages on the server side.

How would you measure such a thing? NPM has more modules than any other language package manager, isn't that evidence that Node is at least somewhat popular?

I didn't say it's not popular. I'm just saying Node's popularity is not even near to Java or PHP. But I agree that Node's/io.js hype is much louder nowadays :)

Re: React Native: Initial Thoughts

#72
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would you measure such a thing? NPM has more modules than any other language package manager, isn't that evidence that Node is at least somewhat popular?

I didn't say it's not popular. I'm just saying Node's popularity is not even near to Java or PHP. But I agree that Node's/io.js hype is much louder nowadays :)

Does it have to be the most popular runtime to counter the "no one really likes JavaScript, we just use it because we have to" claim? As the grandparent said, no one has to use Node, but people do; a lot of them.

I find this topic to be intellectually insulting. You know that JavaScript has its (tens of thousands of) fans. Why tell yourself otherwise? Is your hatred of it so overwhelming that you're not even ready to admit to yourself that others disagree with you?

Re: React Native: Initial Thoughts

#73
post #2

When "The Bad" list start with the single word Javascript, it loses a lot of credibility for any unbiased judgment.

But JavaScript is a bad language, objectively. There's little debate on that subject. Most of us use it because we have to, even though there are much better languages available.

Of which is that true: ES5, ES6, ES7, etc.? Clojurescript, typescript, etc.?

Re: React Native: Initial Thoughts

#74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Most of us use it because we have to, even though there are much better languages available. Node's popularity is a pretty dramatic counterexample to that assertion.

By that reasoning PHP must be amazing

With things like Symfony/Laravel and HHVM/PHP7, it can be.

Re: React Native: Initial Thoughts

#75
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Most of us use it because we have to, even though there are much better languages available. Node's popularity is a pretty dramatic counterexample to that assertion.

> Node's popularity is a pretty dramatic counterexample to that assertion. Popularity has nothing to do with quality. Node is popular because so many people knew JavaScript anyway. JavaScript is popular because it was the only widely-supported programming language for the browser (other than ActionScript, which is itself an ECMAScript flavor).

> Popularity has nothing to do with quality

And that has nothing to do with the discussion at hand.

The statement "Most of us use it because we have to" is pretty clearly refuted by the fact that no one had to use JS on the server-side, yet plenty still pick Node over other alternatives (even ones they know well).

Re: React Native: Initial Thoughts

#76
"Component-based file structure. Handling styles, view hierarchy, and business logic all in one file is a step backwards. Poor style reusability is one direct consequence of this approach."

If only there was some way to pull out a hunk of code so that it could be reused. Hm. Somebody should invent that.

Re: React Native: Initial Thoughts

#77
post #33

For me QML/C++ (or other C++ UIs) and Xamarin make much more sense for native mobile coders. - Better native integration - Integration with the SDK tooling - Support of all three major mobile platforms - Performance As soon as I saw what React Native offers, it was meh for me.

I wish Qt Widgets (C++, not QML) was more mobile friendly... Xamarin will be good when it finally becomes free (acquired by MS?), or at least gains more indie-friendly license.

API-wise, MoSync really stands out. Unfortunately, it is dead now. Same goes for Adobe Flex/AIR.

Re: React Native: Initial Thoughts

#78
post #21

Is there an FRP library in iOS? The author states that React "feels superior" than FRP, so I'm curious what the comparison was.

ReactiveCocoa is a fairly mature FRP library from GitHub. It strikes me as a funny comparison. I agree that the react approach can feel like a better fit than FRP at the view layer, but it's not like there aren't positive reasons to use FRP/signal-based programming in your model layer or when wiring up your models to React views.

View as function of model isn't a concept foreign to FRP either - MVVM is a common pattern together with ReactiveCocoa.

Re: React Native: Initial Thoughts

#79
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Completely agreed. After reading that I was immediate put off about the rest of the article.

Why? Javascript is not without its thorns and glitches. What makes it perfect for this use, in your opinion? Is it just the general "I don't like something you like" reaction - in which case, what is it that he's wrong about here?

Why, because the entire point of react native is so you can use javascript to handle your logic in your app. This lets you bring in a ton more developers for your projects than just the few people who know Objective-C/Swift.

So using a project and disagreeing with it's entire purpose for existing is silly without further explanation of why javascript is bad for this type of thing.

In his argument he says they should be using Objective-C over Swift, which is just wrong. Apple says to use Swift, it's faster and easier to use.

Beyond not liking javascript as a language it's super fast and easy to learn why not make it so more people can start developing apps using that language. It will create better apps that phonegap apps.

Re: React Native: Initial Thoughts

#80
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Most of us use it because we have to, even though there are much better languages available. Node's popularity is a pretty dramatic counterexample to that assertion.

> Node's popularity is a pretty dramatic counterexample to that assertion. Popularity has nothing to do with quality. Node is popular because so many people knew JavaScript anyway. JavaScript is popular because it was the only widely-supported programming language for the browser (other than ActionScript, which is itself an ECMAScript flavor).

More important that "so many people knew JavaScript anyway", is the fact that using the same code in the browser as on the server means that they can share code, data-models, tests, and it makes it trivial to develop isomorphic web applications.
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