> I'm guessing you've never written a universal/isomorphic single-page application?
You guessed wrong.
> If you try to write one without Node.js, you're going to be writing a lot of the same code twice - once in Javascript to run on the client-side, and twice to run the same exact logic on the server-side (eg. fetching data on the server to pre-render a page and parsing that data, making an AJAX call for the same data on the client and parsing that data in JS).
> One codebase is easier to maintain than two codebases in two different languages.
Sure, until you realize that they aren't the same objects, because context matters. But then it's too late because you've so fundamentally coupled the front-end to the back-end that they're inseparable. So you throw in ifs and switches to handle the difference, and eventually your code becomes an unmaintainable mess, and you can't get time from your boss to clean it up because deadlines.
So you quit and get a new job and starting that new project with Node is so easy, and you don't see the problem because you never stick around to actually maintain your code. Your previous business will go out of business when they try to rewrite the app because development has ground to a halt, but that's not your problem, now is it?
In my experience, having to write the same code twice in two different languages is a hell of a lot more work both from a creation and maintenance perspective than just writing it once. I haven't really had to deal with many of those edge cases you're talking about.
So what do you prefer to Node.js for universal single-page apps then?
> In my experience, having to write the same code twice in two different languages is a hell of a lot more work both from a creation and maintenance perspective than just writing it once. I haven't really had to deal with many of those edge cases you're talking about.
Cool, I hope for your sake that your luck continues.
> So what do you prefer to Node.js for universal single-page apps then?
To be honest, I prefer not to write single-page apps, as they break some fundamental ways the internet works, with no real benefit. I have started using React for in-page responsive components, which are composable and reusable independent of the app.
I prefer Flask for the backend, although I've used Django w/ Django Rest Framework and that has also been a good experience.
You guessed wrong.
> If you try to write one without Node.js, you're going to be writing a lot of the same code twice - once in Javascript to run on the client-side, and twice to run the same exact logic on the server-side (eg. fetching data on the server to pre-render a page and parsing that data, making an AJAX call for the same data on the client and parsing that data in JS).
> One codebase is easier to maintain than two codebases in two different languages.
Sure, until you realize that they aren't the same objects, because context matters. But then it's too late because you've so fundamentally coupled the front-end to the back-end that they're inseparable. So you throw in ifs and switches to handle the difference, and eventually your code becomes an unmaintainable mess, and you can't get time from your boss to clean it up because deadlines.
So you quit and get a new job and starting that new project with Node is so easy, and you don't see the problem because you never stick around to actually maintain your code. Your previous business will go out of business when they try to rewrite the app because development has ground to a halt, but that's not your problem, now is it?