Last week Microsoft announced a superset of JavaScript called TypeScript, which is aimed at solving a very specific problem…getting JavaScript to scale.
“Today, we’re introducing a new programming language that solves a very specific problem – getting JavaScript development to scale,” Microsoft corporate vice president Soma Somasegar writes on his blog. “That language is TypeScript. You can learn more about the TypeScript project, download an early preview, read and discuss the language specification, explore the online playground, and peruse the source of the compiler (on the TypeScript project site on CodePlex, with git).”
“TypeScript is a programming language that makes it easier to write cross-platform, application scale, JavaScript that runs in any browser or in any host. Microsoft Technical Fellow Anders Hejlsberg explains how TypeScript, which is a typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to idiomatic (normal) JavaScript, can dramatically improve your productivity by enabling rich tooling experiences, all while maintaining your existing code and continuing to use the same JavaScript libraries you already love.
TypeScript adds some great functionality like type checking, static analysis, explicit interfaces and best practices. TypeScript is also an open, standards-based and 100% compatible with JavaScript.
Here’s a good overview of and introduction to TypeScript by Anders Hejlsberg:
This all seems good and only time and adoption will tells us whether TypeScript can truly scale past the success of JavaScript.
The Flying Maverick 