[Klathmon]

I don't want to derail this whole submission talking about haxe, but this is the first time I've really ever looked at it.

It's not like haxe is some kind of crazy offshoot language, it looks pretty damn close to typescript and flow (But to me this looks closer to "regular javascript" than most typescript and flow does).

With the exception of the `@:expose` and `@:keep` stuff, there isn't anything i've seen yet just browsing through the source that I don't understand (as a javascript developer), and i've never seen the language before in my life.

[jdonaldson]

I'm guessing you've already looked into those keywords, but @:expose and @:keep are Haxe compiler metadata. These are tags that are used to provide additional information to the compiler. A full list is here: https://haxe.org/manual/cr-metadata.html

In many cases, compiler metadata is specific to a given target. E.g., they can be quite common on extern definitions. This allows the Haxe language to stay small, while providing flexibility for better target interoperability.

In this case, @:expose will expose certain methods to the global namespace, and @:keep will prevent the compiler from removing code with its dead code elimination functionality. Both of these are very useful for creating and maintaining js libraries, regardless of whether or not the library is also cross-platform.

[0x0]

Haxe started out as an improved alternative flash compiler, and ActionScript was once slated to become ECMAScript compliant, so that's probably why it looks very close to "regular javascript". :)

[elsassph]

Haxe is much older than TS/Flow: it was created in 2006. It's "unsurprising" by design, but there are advanced topics, like pattern matching or macros (AST metaprogramming), and the fact that you're not limited to targeting JS.

It's not as cool (and backed by big Californian co) as JS/TS, but Haxe really grows on you when you start mastering it.