So I recently saw a report that says Javascript is really hot these days. Given the proliferation of different screen sizes for internet-enabled devices, this is hardly surprising. My code pimp also told me that Node.js is in great demand these days. So I'm wading back into JS development. Or, rather, I'm wading in deeper than I have in the past. I've never been a Javascript master.

After reading up on developer.mozilla.org, I stopped by a Javascript IRC channel and asked if it was yet acceptable and widespread to use the class keyword introduced in ECMAScript 2015 (6th Edition, ECMA-262). The hipsters there immediately said no and started talking about babel and by extension, all manner of package management tools et al.

Is anyone around here really sharp with their Javascript these days? Anyone using Babel? Anyone got ideas about the state-of-the-art in Javascript?

    I was doing a bunch of ASM work which required the use of pre-processors to compile down to ECMA5. I have no experience with babel specifically, but if its anything like the other JS stuff I've worked with. Its really easy to automate all of it, and even trigger that automation from your IDE based on file watchers. I even have my IDE set up to run the unit tests when certain files change, so I don't even run my unit tests manually any more (PHP or JS).

    But that's the rub: you need to automate everything in JS anymore to be using top of the line stuff, or your site will suffer, or you will suffer.

      Thanks for your reponse!

      Derokorian;11059053 wrote:

      I was doing a bunch of ASM work which required the use of pre-processors to compile down to ECMA5.

      ASM? And yes, compiling 'down to' ECMA5 seems to be the primary point of Babel and some of these other tools -- the implication being that we are coding in some later version? Could you elaborate? I'm trying to get a more specific idea of where the action is these days. Should I be boning up for the 2017 edition? NOTE: that page takes forever to load -- gives me a real bad feeling.

      Derokorian;11059053 wrote:

      I have no experience with babel specifically, but if its anything like the other JS stuff I've worked with. Its really easy to automate all of it, and even trigger that automation from your IDE based on file watchers. I even have my IDE set up to run the unit tests when certain files change, so I don't even run my unit tests manually any more (PHP or JS).

      But that's the rub: you need to automate everything in JS anymore to be using top of the line stuff, or your site will suffer, or you will suffer.

      Aside from compiling down to some prior implementation, I cannot help but wonder what the point of these complicating factors? What, exactly, requires automation? Seems like more moving parts is going to make for a less reliable result to me.

        Not to mention that they all assume you're using Node.js (because if you're a JavaScript programmer you're using JavaScript for everything, right?); it was a little while before I figured out what "npm" was referring to.

          NogDog;11059105 wrote:

          I thought Rails development got a bit ugly when you had to make sure you had gems x, y, and z installed, and this testing framework for that, and that testing framework for this, and so on. Then I read this: https://hackernoon.com/how-it-feels-to-learn-javascript-in-2016-d3a717dd577f#.6ztczrtke 🙂

          I'm so angry right now :mad: Thanks a lot.

          But seriously thanks for that. It feels good to see someone else calling out this madness.

          I don't want to 'transpile' anything. The idea of running watchers or compilers on my JS is infuriating. I mean aside from my reluctance to invest all kinds of time learning these surely temporary tools, is there any effective counterargument against this madness? I posed a question on stack exchange about defining static variables in an anonymous function and some clown with a 36,000+ reputation immediately mentioned Babel.

          I do have some interest in learning Node.js, but this is really hampering it.

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