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Google Programming

Dart 2: Google's Language Rebooted For Web and Mobile Developers (infoworld.com) 44

An anonymous reader quotes InfoWorld: Google's Dart language, once positioned a potential replacement for JavaScript in the browser, is being rebooted for client-side web and mobile development in Version 2 of the language. A beta version is now available. Dart 2 features a strengthened type system, a cleaned-up syntax, and a rebuilt developer tool chain.

Dart has a succinct syntax and can run on a VM with a just-in-time compiler, with the compiler enabling stateful, hot reload during mobile development. Developers also gain from fast development cycles where code can be edited, compiled, and replaced in apps running on a device. Compiling code ahead of time provides fast startup, Google said. Dart can be compiled to native code for ARM and x86 platforms. Google has used the language to build applications for iOS, Android, and the web.

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Dart 2: Google's Language Rebooted For Web and Mobile Developers

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  • It still sucks.

  • Back in the old days, things like ActiveX and Java forced web users to need a specific browser to see some sites. JavaScript is now implemented fully across all known browsers, so how does Dart become better enough to be worth implementing outside of Chrome?

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by skoskav ( 1551805 )

      I disagree with your premise that JavaScript is "implemented fully across all known browsers," as it's effectively a living standard where browser vendors implement the parts they can be bothered to.

      As Dart for now is still transcompiled to JavaScript, it's realistically more of a competitor to the likes of TypeScript and CoffeeScript. With Dart 2 switching to a mostly mandatory type I hope it catches on this time, as I remember it being a lot of fun to code in.

    • by jma05 ( 897351 )

      No one is using Dart to run inside a browser anymore. That idea predictably met the same fate as ActiveX or even Applets.

      People are however using it as:
      - A better Typescript to generate Javascript.
      - A better node.js on the server side.
      - A Java/Kotlin/Objective C/Swift alternative for writing cross-platform mobile apps.

      It is fine for what it does. There is hardly any learning curve. Think of it as Google's Java/C#, because Oracle was giving them grief over Java.

      • I should add: The killer framework for Dart is Flutter.

        Flutter is the most modern cross-platform mobile framework yet.

        - The API is very high level (component oriented). Very easy to pick up.
        - The tooling is the best there is. Hot reload is fantastic. Only WYSIWYG editors are missing, but UI design is just editing component trees.
        - Not a Javascript hybrid framework.
        - Native compilation.
        - Talks to the platform API, although a bit clunky on that front.
        - Google's framework (This may be a con for some).
        - Free.

        Co

        • Flutter is the most modern cross-platform mobile framework yet.

          - The API is very high level (component oriented). Very easy to pick up.
          - The tooling is the best there is. Hot reload is fantastic. Only WYSIWYG editors are missing, but UI design is just editing component trees.
          - Not a Javascript hybrid framework.
          - Native compilation.
          - Talks to the platform API, although a bit clunky on that front.
          - Google's framework (This may be a con for some).
          - Free.

          So..... basically ReactJS, with a proprietry moon languag

          • by jma05 ( 897351 )

            I have kept up.
            Watch any short tutorial on Flutter on Youtube. It is not a complicated framework to understand.
            It is quite different from ReactJS and other hybrid approaches.
            It is conceptually closer to Embarcadero's (Delphi) proprietary FireMonkey framework. Both use rendered widgets with a GPU accelerated backend.

            • It is conceptually closer to Embarcadero's (Delphi) proprietary FireMonkey framework. Both use rendered widgets with a GPU accelerated backend.

              So by "modern" we're talking about 90s technology rebranded for the web age?

              Because while the old delphi component model was convenient (And I say this with the utmost respect, I spent 15 years as a delphi coder), it lead to some seriously unmaintainable code that modern techniques like the MVC frameworks and even newer ideas like Flux et al sought to fix.

              Or is this

              • by jma05 ( 897351 )

                > So by "modern" we're talking about 90s technology rebranded for the web age?

                No, we are not.

                > Because while the old delphi component model was convenient

                We are not talking about the "old" Delphi. We are talking about modern Delphi.

                Once again: take a look at some video tutorial. 30 min will give you a reasonably good idea of what it is. You think Dart is a "proprietry (sic) moon language". It is BSD.

                You seem to have used VCL, but not much of FMX. FMX has better fundamentals for a fragmented computing

          • Then give some hints, with no links or names of frameworks/languages/technologies your post is pointless.

        • Wow, that was an interesting hint.
          As I'm not into platform depending code but also not into JavaScrip based frameworks.

  • by Anonymous Coward

    Sorry guys, I'm afraid it's too late to try it out. Google has marked it as end of life. Good news though: I know from inside sources that they're about to unwrap its replacement very soon. Expect an announcement from Google in the next few weeks.

  • I'm waiting for the LawnDart scripting language that sits atop Dart.
  • Would be nice to sell the language a bit with a comparison with typescript and es7, unless itâ(TM)s just a click bait hey look the big G has something that is interesting because itâ(TM)s by google

  • As far as JS-transpiled PLs go, Dart is actually one of the more interesting onces. However, as it looks, Google might have missed an opportunity with Dart. Too much of a niche product with no serious support. Curiously enough, it's Microsoft leading the game in this area with TypeScript and a nigh perfect FOSS toolchain accompaning it with the very neat Visual Studio Code IDE being written in TS and offering all-out support for development in TS. ... Yeah, and hell froze over a little more lately.

    If Google proves they're serious with Dart 2, they might have a chance, but right now I'm betting on TypeScript for my transpilation/large-js-project needs.

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