Following the recent release by Microsoft of TypeScript I was wondering if this
ID: 646307 • Letter: F
Question
Following the recent release by Microsoft of TypeScript I was wondering if this is something that should be considered for a experienced WinForm and XAML developer looking to get into more web development.
From reviewing a number of sites and videos online it appears that the type system for TypeScript makes more sense to me as a thick client developer than the dynamic type system in Javascript.
I understand that Typescript compiles down to JavaScript but it appears that the learning curve is shallower due to the current tooling provided by Microsoft.
What are your thoughts?
Explanation / Answer
Those aren't going to be the two options for a while. If you use TypeScript, you're going to need to know JavaScript anyway because, for the foreseeable future, there isn't going to be a tool for debugging TypeScript in the form it was written.
So it's JavaScript or TypeScript AND JavaScript.
So I suggest learning JavaScript first while keeping an eye on what TypeScript offers. While you're at it, take a look at what jQuery and CoffeeScript offer. The three packages solve different problems so, when you run into one of those problems, you'll know which product to learn next.