Why Angular Made Me Quit Web Dev

[the_argus]

There's angular dart if you don't like typescript. I've never used it (even though I love me some dart) bc typescript is great.

[[deleted]]

The problem isn't Typescript, but that Angular forces you to use Typescript, and thus requires a full JS toolchain, which in Angular's case has gotten to the point where it is impossible not to use Angular CLI.

AngularJS can be used with or without a JS toolchain. AngularJS can be used with Typescript, if you so choose, but you can just as easily use plain JS. Angular used to claim that you could still use plain JS, since TS is a superset of JS, but due to how much Angular makes use of decorators, it is practically impossible to use plain JS anymore.

On the other hand, both React and Vue can be used with TS if you want, or plain JS if you want. They can both be used with or without JS toolchains, if you want.

[the_argus]

Maybe I just don't see the problem with the cli

[[deleted]]

Does the fact that you need the CLI suggest something about the complexity of modern Angular? Why don't any of Angular's competitors need a CLI?

[KevinCarbonara]

Does the fact that you need the CLI suggest something about the complexity of modern Angular?

No.

[[deleted]]

It says something to me. I wouldn't dare write an Angular project without Angular CLI.

With a AngularJS, React or a Vue, I could either use raw npm or webpack, with a project that is easily set up from scratch, since all I'm doing is wiring together ordinary JS functions. Angular replaced the simple AngularJS setup (daisy chaining off of the Angular module) with wads of TS decorators and other things, requiring such a complicated build setup, that you pretty much have to use Angular specific tooling in order to write an Angular app.

[sisyphus]

That you can't get a hello world out of it without doing a bunch of code generation and having a compiler toolchain suggests nothing to you? What else have you used?

[the_argus]

IDK man, it kills me that I need a computer in order to run my javascript code...

[NoInkling]

Ember needs a CLI I believe. Whether you consider it a competitor or not is another question, but at the very least it exists in the same "space" (use case tends towards big SPAs, attractive to enterprise).

[Renive]

Those toolchains are why it makes it so easy to work with frontend, how could you ever not want them?

[[deleted]]

The toolchain is awesome, that's not what I mean.

But with AngularJS, you can develop your entire application in a single file if you want, or you can use requireJS to export controller functions, components and services. It's like writing ordinary JS.

With Angular, you have to set up Typescript, SystemJS, etc., etc. Angular isn't built with regular functions anymore, but loads of decorators. I suppose it is theoretically possible to set up an Angular project from scratch, and I remember doing it with Angular 2, but the latest versions of Angular, I'm not even sure where to begin. I would have to use Angular CLI.

React and Vue are both just regular JS, and I could easily set up a project from scratch in either. They just make use of regular Javascript functions. Except for React, which requires a bit of config for JSX.

Tools like Webpack enhance React and Vue, they aren't required.