Programming

5 years ago everything was moving to TypeScript. Now everything has moved. Developers are still catching up, but it will be one-way traffic from here.

I'm guessing your manager thinks TypeScript is like CoffeeScript. It is not like CoffeeScript.

Also, TypeScript is only the beginning. In the halls of the tech giants most devs view TypeScript as a sticking plaster until things can be moved to webassembly. It will be a long time until that makes any dent in JS, but it will also be one-way traffic when it does.

I'll riot if I ever need to write pure js again. 98% of web devs would be better served writing in TS. If you're actually knowledgeable enough to write more efficient js, more power to you but honestly I was probably being generous saying 2% of web devs fall into that category.

A fad? No, definitely not. TypeScript brings features (and structure) that will /should probably make their way into JS.

It's sort of like asking, "does SASS replace CSS" or "is liquid the next HTML?" They're just implementations of features FE developers want in the core spec of JS, CSS, and HTML.

Typescript makes writing Javascript a reasonable thing to do. Your manager is a fad.

I hope not. I'm pretty sure me and my coworkers would be at each others' throats if it were not for some form of typed JS holding our Frankenstein codebase together.

Technicalities aside, TS is being pushed by MSFT in their SaaS custom components, and that right there will keep it relevant a while. MSFT is known for changing names a lot, but not for killing technologies.

After over 5 years of writing TS, I have had to do plain JS sometimes, and it is scary. It feels like walking blindfold. I'm spoiled.

Based solely on gut feel, I think Typescript will become less popular as Wasm grows

Your manager is an idiot.

The only valid argument against typescript is that it is too similar to vanilla JavaScript. It does not go far enough. We need type systems like Ocaml's.

I suppose you can also complain about needing a build step, but I find this silly. There are so many tools that make this easy or automatic.

A language that helps me write Javascript without writing Javascript? Nah, that ain't no fad, that's a grace from whatever god is up there.

I don't really get the appeal of strongly typed languages. Can't you just use try/catch blocks, and/or use functional programming and return early if the data structure of whatever you're working with isn't what you expected?

I guess it can help older code easier to maintain because the expected data structure is right there, but you could also just include it in a comment above the function.

I personally find TS slows down initial production of a project and raises so many unnecessary errors.

Is there some huge benefit that I'm missing? Because I don't really get the appeal. I mean, I do on some level, but I don't really understand why so many people are absolutely obsessed with TS.

Personally I'd rather use JSDoc in my own projects for type annotations and call it a day. I find TS a bit annoying but that might be because I'm not that familiar with it.