picostitch
crafting (and) JavaScript
#ReScript

[WIP] Learning ReScript - First Conclusions

Taking in the rear view mirror for the first time and trying to sum up what I learned from ReScript and compare it to my initial expectations.

  • understand where types are inferred and where NOT

    • inferred types are (often) weaker and maybe dont want to be used
    • not writing the type aside the variable, letting the compiler "discover it" feels strange, might needs getting used to
  • records require type definition, objects dont - so why use objects at all?

  • variants are explicit and safer than polymorphic variants - so why use the latter at all?

  • already using Js.log() makes it feel much less "functional" (where I mean difficult) compared to languages like PureScript, PureScript knocked me out when it came to building code with side-effect, like an XHR, it was way too complicated imho

  • the pattern matching with the different syntaxes for lists, records, etc. looks like it might become hard to read code, if one does not take good care
    I can see the nerds going wild already writing the hardest to read code, because they can ;) just read the chapter in the docs https://rescript-lang.org/docs/manual/latest/pattern-matching-destructuring

    • tbh I don't see the huge advantage of only the "supercharged switch" used for pattern matching, For ease of use (esp for newcomers), having "supercharged" the "if" would be nice, the "switch" just feels just like a different construct (that the functional community is more used to?)
  • I think I wish for a lot more JS-iness