IIRC from when I looked into it and got it working a few months back, you npm install bucklescript, wihch gives you a compiler to convert reason to JS, so to do any testing that actually includes a real world equivalent experience (such as include it in a sample webpage, maybe with React), you're talking about using webpack or something to bundle all the dependencies and steps into a deployment procedure.
Since it compiles to JS, and uses a JS lib and ecosystem to install the utilities that do the cross-compile, it's sort of like if to try out Python you had to first download and install a C compiler and C libraries used in Python, and compile python from scratch, just to try it out, because no pre-existing binaries, packages or installers existed. If that was the only way to try out Python (or Ruby, or Perl, or anything), you would get a lot less people trying it out, and a lot less willing to go through all that in their build chain (in case python updates, right?) if easier alternatives exist.
Just because your language compiles to another language, that doesn't mean to you get to ignore the on-boarding experience to that extent. At least not if you really want to succeed.
There's no ignoring going on. Reason exists on its own because it's not opinionated on what sort of app you're trying to build – frontend, backend, native, or some combination thereof.
kbenson|7 years ago
Since it compiles to JS, and uses a JS lib and ecosystem to install the utilities that do the cross-compile, it's sort of like if to try out Python you had to first download and install a C compiler and C libraries used in Python, and compile python from scratch, just to try it out, because no pre-existing binaries, packages or installers existed. If that was the only way to try out Python (or Ruby, or Perl, or anything), you would get a lot less people trying it out, and a lot less willing to go through all that in their build chain (in case python updates, right?) if easier alternatives exist.
Just because your language compiles to another language, that doesn't mean to you get to ignore the on-boarding experience to that extent. At least not if you really want to succeed.
simplify|7 years ago
If you're looking to build a web app with react (the subject of the article) then you can whip one up using one of their generators https://reasonml.github.io/reason-react/docs/en/installation...