Things that are one step for you may be way more than one step for others. I want to avoid complication whenever possible. When I need to write JavaScript, I just want to write JavaScript instead of doing so much bullshit to get it to fit into Nix or `go build` or whatever.
`create-react-app` is great for other people, but other people have different constraints and you cannot expect your experiences to be universally understood and accepted as fact.
I don't understand this criticism. Which other language lets you get away without compilation or build of some kind? Every language I have used has some form of build or compilation step before running the program. Unless you are building absolutely trivial programs like a "Hello World" you have to do some amount of build/compilation/orchestration (whatever you may want to call it).
The main problem is that `go build` has no escape hatches for running arbitrary code at compile time, so I want to remove ways for me to get the code in emacs out of sync with the code that runs in the binary. In this case it means ripping out literally everything involved with JavaScript build tooling. This also helps keep the semantic space for the service down a lot.
The onus is not on anyone to explain why React shouldn't be used. The ordinary state of the world is not React. It's not a naturally occurring substance. The onus is on you to show why the React ritual and all the boondoggle that comes along with it is justified.
To put it another way: "I don't understand your criticism. Christine has a workflow. (As it happens, it doesn't involve running a build step.) What's the problem?"
> You know what's easier than doing that? Not doing it.
Great! And you can do just that. Explained below with an actual working example.
> The onus is not on anyone to explain why React shouldn't be used. The ordinary state of the world is not React. It's not a naturally occurring substance. The onus is on you to show why the React ritual and all the boondoggle that comes along with it is justified.
The onus is on nobody because it is Open Source Software. If you want to use it, use it. If not, forget it and do your own thing. People use React because they like the bells and whistles that come along with it. If you really want to learn React, just pursue the documentation. Asking random people on Hacker News to prove to you why React is better is not going to get you anywhere. No one has an onus here to explain anything beyond what they can explain in the limited time they have.
> To put it another way: "I don't understand your criticism. Christine has a workflow. (As it happens, it doesn't involve running a build step.) What's the problem?"
Common myth for those who have never used React. The belief that you have to use a bundler.
The idea is not whether you can or cannot use a bundler. It is about why people use a bundler in the first place. That is what you need to grok. That cannot be a point of discussion. It is something that has to be learnt first. Only when you learn how to use the tools can you say conclusively whether the tools are good/bad. What you are doing right now is presenting a shallow argument about why bundlers are bad based on your own interpretation of it not being an "ordinary state of the World". Tools are not meant to represent "ordinary state of the World". They are tools precisely because they don't fit the ordinary state. They are there to enhance the experience.
And to use these tools is a personal preference at the end of the day (or your company/team decides on your behalf). Whatever I or anyone else says here will remain as an opinion until you actually try it out yourself. And if you choose not to, that is also cool. You can still use React without any bundler as demonstrated above. Is the experience as great as using a bundler? Nope. Not for me at least. But hey it is after all my opinion. You might have a different experience altogether. These things cannot be point of discussion as it is subjective. What are your pros can be my cons and vice versa.
> When I need to write JavaScript, I just want to write JavaScript
The beauty of compilers/transpilers is that you can write in the latest JavaScript and not have to worry about browser compatibility, it will automatically transpile down to whatever target you want.
`create-react-app` is great for other people, but other people have different constraints and you cannot expect your experiences to be universally understood and accepted as fact.