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by erikpukinskis 3385 days ago
> It's still pretty standard to compile es6 down to at least es2015

Yea, but that means if I want to use your library, I need a build chain. It used to be I could just do require("you") or <script src="you"> and be done with it. That's what we lost.

Actually I need n buildchains, one for each npm module I use. And they better all be compatible and target at least one common runtime. And that better be a runtime I am comfortable deploying for my app.

> I've also literally never met anyone who thinks that callback-structured code is "not a problem"

Well here I am. Pleased to meet you. Might I also point you at: http://callbackhell.com There are many of us.

I think what this really shows is how much professional ES6 programmers live in a filter bubble.

This also explains why you think "just transpile" is a reasonable substitute for a simple, run-anywhere language. Professional ES6 programmers think everyone has 40 hours a week of paid time to spend maintaining a build chain.

Javascript+Node used to be one of few languages that you could use without a build system. That's no longer the case. Maybe the loss was worth it to you. Fine. Makes sense. I wish more people would just acknowledge something has been lost, and that amateurs are struggling now at the expense of pros.

3 comments

I agree with a lot of your sentiment. But there's still nothing stopping you from writing ES5 or even ES3 and just ignoring ES6. Thats what we do and it works great for us. And we build extremely high end interactive apps using virtual dom, webgl, etc.
that's really interesting - would love to know more about your JS stack and your project structure?
I think you missed that the parent meant that libraries are compiled _before_ publishing. So even if the library is written with ES6 you can simply require it with no build setup.
Many (most?) libraries are not built that way. There are plenty of libraries that use async in their exports.
i wish i could upvote you 100 times.