Compiling to JavaScript: TypeScript vs. Haxe

lars_doucet writes: Released in 2012, Microsoft's TypeScript is perhaps the best-known "compile to JS" language, but it wasn't the first. One of the earliest was Haxe, whose JS target first appeared in 2006. In his illuminating article, TypeScript vs Haxe, Andy Li gives an excellent rundown of the two languages' various merits, but the bottom line is: "Existing JS developers will favor TypeScript as they are more similar in many ways. They can utilize their existing skills immediately. Non-JS developers with backgrounds like Java/C# or even from the functional programming world will appreciate Haxe more since it fixes a lot of weirdness of JS." The full article includes an excellent rundown of the type systems, syntax, scope handling, compilers, and overall language design philosophy.

Comments

Compile to JS vs WebASM

[Dutch Gun]

How is that web assembly project coming along? It seems like a perfect fit for alternative languages like this instead of having to compile to JS. I think it will be a nice day when developers can choose a web language based on its merits rather than its ubiquitous nature.

Re:Compile to JS vs WebASM

[aaaaaaargh!]

What's even worse is that people are piling up layers after layers without really caring about bug ratios and error tolerance. It's like building a skyscraper out of parts that all have a little bit of structural damage and saying each time: "Nah, that little hairline crack won't matter. I'm fairly confident that the whole thing will hold."

If I had to compile to JS I'd look at emscripten

[istartedi]

If I had to compile to JS I like to think I could use emscripten, but not being involved in such a project I'm not sure how well it works. When it's supported by the browser, it's designed to strip away most of the layers of crap we've put between ourselves and the machine. IIRC, you can get half the speed of native C by running C compiled to JS this way. Once again though, the browser has to support it. I think in theory it can support any language that LLVM supports on the front end; but I think they've only tested it with C and C++.

Anyway, if you're starting a new project I don't see why you'd want to use a language designed just for compiling to JS when you could use something more general purpose that will potentially run very fast with the proper compiler.