Nathan Tranquilla | Next-Gen Web Dev
I help teams build high-performance, reliable, and maintainable front-end web applications using cutting-edge, strongly typed languages. Move beyond JavaScript and TypeScript for a safer, more maintainable web development experience.
Work With MeVision of Next-Gen Web Dev
Next-Gen Web Dev aims for reliable, more maintainable web applications free from preventable errors. It requires a shift to robust, strongly typed languages that eliminate entire classes of bugs, ensuring developers trust their tools and users trust their apps.
The current status quo
JavaScript’s weak typing, implicit coercions, and runtime errors make it challenging for modern web development. TypeScript, while an improvement, describes itself as unsound; it lacks complete null safety, allows implicit conversions in some cases, and misses exhaustive type checking. Additionally, its type system requires frequent use of undefined to model JavaScript's reality, indicating a lack of expressiveness. These limitations make it suboptimal for mission-critical server-side (SSR) or client-side (CSR) applications. The web needs languages that guarantee correctness, not just suggest it.
The Components Of Next-Gen Web Dev
Strong Static Typing
A strong, static type system prevents entire categories of runtime errors by catching mistakes at compile-time. Unlike JavaScript's weak typing or TypeScript's compromises, truly strong type systems eliminate null pointer exceptions, array bounds errors, and type coercion surprises, and are expressive enough to model the current complexity of the web. Static typing means fewer bugs, safer refactoring, and increased developer confidence. Strong type systems serve as living documentation, making code self-explanatory and maintainable. For Next-Gen Web Dev, strong typing isn't optional—it's the foundation of reliable software.
Learn MoreFamiliarity & Interoperability
Developers choose new languages that look familiar but fix critical problems. TypeScript's existence indicates a strong trend towards static typing in front-end codebases with the goal of safer, more maintainable code, even at the cost of complexity. Next-Gen Web Dev languages acknowledge both this goal and the embededness of the JavaScript ecosystem in web dev, and offer solutions without abandoning neither the familiarity of JavaScript nor it's ecosystem.
Learn MoreWeb Readiness
Strong, static type systems alone aren't enough. Next-Gen languages need mature framework ecosystems for real-world adoption. A language becomes viable when it offers full-stack solutions: routing, state management, data fetching, and UI libraries. Framework readiness means developers can build complete applications without sacrificing type safety or reverting to JavaScript. Languages like ReScript with React integration, or Elm with its architecture, demonstrate how type-safe languages can provide comprehensive development platforms that rival traditional web frameworks.
Learn MoreGradual Adoption
Next-Gen languages excel at gradual adoption. TypeScript's approach to gradual adoption is to adjust the level of typing in the codebase, leaving gaps in the type system, depending on compiler configuration. Next-Gen Web Dev languages provide fully sound type systems yet still offer solutions for gradual adoption in the codebase. Next-Gen Web Dev languages do not compromise the type system, but grow in their presence in the codebase.
Learn MoreThe Committment of Next-Gen Web Dev
- Adopt Type-Safe Languages: Prioritize strongly typed languages for SSR and CSR to reduce bugs and maintenance costs.
- Reduce JavaScript’s Role: Transition JavaScript to a compilation target for safer, scalable systems.
- Move Beyond TypeScript: Replace TypeScript with languages offering sound type systems to minimize runtime errors.
- Enhance Productivity: Use tools that catch errors at compile-time to streamline development and improve reliability.
- Build for the Future: Embrace robust, type-safe languages for stable, secure, and maintainable web applications.