Are we ready for javascript without a build step on the front end in 2023?

fbmac@lemmy.fbmac.net to Programming@programming.dev – 32 points –

On the current typescript / anti-typescript internet drama I saw someone mention javascript without a build step.

Do you think we're already there?

Last time I attempted it:

  • there were too many libraries I couldn't import
  • JSX (using babel) had a warning saying you shouldn't do it in the browser for production
  • there was some advice against not using a bundler, because several requests for different .js files is slower and bigger than a bundled package
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If you want type safety and no build step you do like svelte did and use jsdoc instead. You can run the typescript type checker on those annotations so if you care about not having a build step you can still have type safety.

That sounds like spending a lot of extra effort just to avoid a little up-front effort.

How is it extra effort? It's just a comment instead of inline types. It's not like going from no types to types everywhere.

its like js but with extra steps WHY NOT USING TS then?

That's litterally less step. It's just a comment above a function. How is that more steps?

I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't mind build step but this is objectively less steps.

In typescript you dont comment before there you see the variable name and that (should be enough) and the type is there...