Episode 120: CoffeeScript

Learn how you can write less code with CoffeeScript the Javascript compiler.

• Jade is going out of state!

• Vic Firth Pump and Grind Stainless-Steel Pepper Mill

• Visual Event – Bookmarklet that lets you see Javascript click events assigned to elements
• Open Signals Map – Mashup of cell providers towers and cell usage.

• As of March 16, 2011, CoffeeScript is on GitHub’s list of most-watched projects
• A Ruby/Python inspired language that compiles down to Readable/Lint compatible Javascript
• CoffeeScript claims to reduce the number of lines needed to be written to 1/3 of hand written JS
• Because CoffeeScript compiles predictably to JavaScript, programs can be written with less code (typically 1/3 fewer lines) with no effect on runtime performance.
• Who is using it?
  • Used in production by 37Signals
  • Used in the Ars Technica reader for iPad
• Some advantages
  • It is still compatible with Node.js, jquery, or any other framework
  • Removes noise
  • adds keywords, classes, and features like heredocs to make coding cleaner
  • It is said to be faster to code in CoffeeScript once you learn the ropes
• Some potential downsides
  • Debugging a coffeescript script still requires you read the generated Javascript code, which can be tedious, since you haven’t actually written it yourself.
• CoffeeScript – Compiler-for-Windows