The experiments proved it: this technology is a gift from the gods! I had to figure out how to wire up the compilation for different targets: SharePoint, WinJS (UWP), React and Angular.
I asked management for a month to rewrite all our active js sources in typescript, and swore a solemn oath to never write plain js again.
While watching last year's DevCon conference recording I learned about TypeScript. What I saw struck me right in the heart — the pain of working with native JavaScript had been tormenting me for almost 10 years by then.
What was promised
- It's a strictly typed language that Microsoft's current IDEs understand.
- JavaScript is valid TypeScript, so compatibility with all previously written code is preserved
- There are Type definition files to describe typing without the code itself, for compatibility with libraries not written in TypeScript.
- There's a mode for react files (
jsx) —tsx
At that point there was no generics support yet, and inheritance was shaky in general. But generics were already announced for future releases, and even without them it looked seriously cool
I set about verifying the capabilities announced at the conference immediately.