Is Transcrypt dead?

[faerot]

It's been 6 months since Jacques reacted on any of reported issues and I am wondering what are his plans about the future of this project. I am currently working on a pretty large project based heavily on Transcrypt and cannot drop it mid-way, therefore I am wondering if I should look forward to updates or just make a fork and try to fix all the reported issues on my own somehow (I am not very good at JavaScript).

[JdeH]

NO!! I just had some other projects for customers that took up lots of time. But Transcrypt is as alive as ever. In fact it is quite high on my priority list, and I plan to start working on it again in fall for a considerable part of my time. But earning an income sometimes takes priority.

I assure you that I will be working on Transcrypt for many years to come, assuming I'll live in good health. I'm thinking about 5 years at least, but I'd like 10 better. And I also plan to transfer it in a responsible way, should it ever be necessary. Meanwhile I hope I can again count on the cooperation of other developers, that made such great contributions in the past.

Transcrypt for me isn't a hobby but something I also rely on for my professional work.

Kind regards
Jacques

[faerot]

Great news, I will keep on reporting bugs then :)

[JdeH]

Thanks, and sorry I got you worried like this.

[kaymccormick]

I've been working on my own Python-to-typescript compiler since I have been unable to get Transcrypt to work, and it seemed like less work to do it on my own than to figure out how someone else engineered their compiler. But, it is clearly quite some work to be done, and while I have been having fun on the project, it doesn't seem like a good use of time since it appears you've done all the work. I just can't seem to put your work to good use.

[fzzylogic]

@kaymccormick Hi, thanks for the feedback, not sure which parts aren't working for you, which OS you're on etc. New issue might be needed. But pressing on, installed the latest Transcrypt (using Windows 10) from doc instructions. If new to python and pip, be sure to read the link with a very clear and brief introduction to pip.

Autotests are still failing as reported in 604. And there may also be some things in the docs that need updating, so would be good to know any issues you've bumped into. Also, it's a bit of a thing to have it work across OS's, so any OS specific issues you come across can also help smooth things out for others in future.

To do a basic compile test, I followed the instructions under "Your first Transcrypt program". An exact walk-through to get to that point might be helpful as that can help to identify things that might have slipped between the cracks. (Windows command prompt):

mkdir transcrypt_test
cd transcrypt_test

python --version
:: > Python 3.7.2

:: If you have multiple versions, on Windows the one to use
:: can be selected using the py launcher, e.g. 'py -37'
:: On other systems, there may be multiple binaries with names
:: such as 'python3' or 'python37' etc.

:: Create a virtual env, placing it in the 'wenv' folder
:: On linux systems i like to create a 'lenv' folder, so
:: two virtual env's can co-exist in the same place.
:: Note that the python version referred to here will dictate
:: the version used within the virtual env.
python -m venv wenv

:: Activate the virtual env
:: On linux / mac (bash) this would be: source lenv/bin/activate
:: Once activated, one can use 'python' to refer to python, even
:: if there are multiple system versions installed.
wenv\Scripts\activate

:: Just in case, ensure the virtual env contains the latest versions of 
:: pip and setuptools (one can upgrade this globally from an
:: elevated prompt, but we'll just focus on the current virtual env)
python -m pip install --upgrade pip setuptools

:: Install the latest Transcrypt in the virtual env.
:: On ubuntu linux one may first need 'apt-get install python3-dev'
pip install transcrypt

:: Make the two files, 'hello.html' and 'hello.py' by cutting and
:: pasting from the docs above.

:: Compile hello.py to js. That should output files in the '__target__' dir.
transcrypt hello

:: Run a simple http server, then view the files in your browser
:: at localhost:8000
python -m http.server 8000

[JdeH]

@kaymccormick Did the docs pointed to by @fzzylogic provide enough info? Did you get it to work? Or are there still problems?

[Andrei-Pozolotin]

@JdeH Jacques:

• just as a proof of life: please make a release? :-)
• previous release is about 1 year old
• thank you

[JdeH]

@Andrei-Pozolotin

Hi Andrei,

I am currently looking into issue #574, and after that maybe a tiny bit of low hanging fruit.
Subsequently there'll be a release, indication in about 1 month, earlier if doable.

In general it would be good to return to a more frequent release scheme, say every three months or so.
The switch to JS modules costed a lot of time and energy, which meant I incurred a backlog with other activities, but that's now dealth with.

So there will be more frequent "proofs of life" ;)

KR
Jacques

[Andrei-Pozolotin]

great, thank you

[Andrei-Pozolotin]

@JdeH Jacques:
curious: will dev_fall_2019 will make it in the fall of 2019?

[JdeH]

@Andrei-Pozolotin

To be honest: due to some (temporary) personal circumstances it very well might not.
I'd like to have included some Python 3.8 stuff, but that'll probably have to wait until early next year.

Currently I am moving Transcrypt development from Windows to (Arch) Linux, which is costing more time than expected. But the benefits should outweight the effort, recently I lost weeks worth of work (not Transcrypt related) through one of W10's automated updates, so I decided it's becoming too big a risk.

Specifically I lost the possibility to edit course material for a sequence of math/signal processing workshops that's due to run in december, containing many formulae, since MS decided to ditch their formula editor due to security issues. They offered a compatible (separatedly paid) solution, that turned out to be not so compatible after all. Teaching at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences is an important part of my daytime job, and this really caused me a lot of trouble. This is not the first time MS' disregard for users caused me damage, but this time I've had enough.

So: some setbacks, especially since multiple team members are very busy at the moment. Maybe the team should be expanded, but that will also result in more overhead. I have been thinking about that for quite some time, but not really reached a conclusion. The problem is that only really proficient, proactive developers will alleviate the work, otherwise I'll just spent more time reviewing PR's.

What's wisdom here... I don't know yet. Working with volunteers means working with an ever changing crew. I am amazed about the amount of work and craftsmanship some devs have been putting in. But usually they have quite a lot of balls to keep in the air.

So I have to consider Transcrypt development an endurance run, rather than a sprint, no matter how much I'd like that to be different.

[Andrei-Pozolotin]

@JdeH Jacques:

1. great, thank you for the update.
   P.S.: I also moved from Windows to Arch Linux many years back :-)

2. Regarding the project development strategy: perhaps you could open a project forum discussion
   and invite people to contribute their ideas, including how much time can they commit to the project.
   For example: I personally can commit 2 hr per week, iff I have clear guidance form you and a promise from you to accept/reject the PR in the 4 week window since submission of the PR.

[mymi14s]

@JdeH how can I be of help to this project, I am a python/Django developer and honestly, Transcrypt has made my work easier since am poor in Javascript. I'd love Transcrypt to stay alive, grow and get popular. I googled how I can integrate it with Django, found no result then decided to try my own solution, it worked like magic.

Honestly I am more productive with Transcrypt. Please let me know the area I can be of help.

[metaperl]

@mymi14s - are you still interested? #604 has still not been resolved. Maybe fork and re-release?