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| <li><a href="index.html" >FAQ</a></li> |
| <li><a href="comparison-java.html" class="is-active">N4JS and Java</a></li> |
| <li><a href="comparison-typescript.html" >N4JS and Typescript</a></li> |
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| <h1 id="_faq" class="sect0"><a class="link" href="#_faq">FAQ</a></h1> |
| <div class="sect1"> |
| <h2 id="_why_did_you_create_n4js"><a class="link" href="#_why_did_you_create_n4js">Why Did You Create N4JS?</a></h2> |
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| <div class="title">FAQ</div> |
| <p>N4JS is created by <a href="http://www.numberfour.eu">NumberFour AG</a>. Our goal is to create a single |
| business platform on which apps can be installed and run. These apps are written in N4JS which is based |
| on JavaScript/ECMAScript.</p> |
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| <div class="paragraph"> |
| <p>JavaScript is the best language for external developers to contribute to our platform but we needed |
| important features to build large, reliable systems that are maintainable over time. What we needed was |
| a sound type system and that’s why we developed N4JS to provide these missing features.</p> |
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| <div class="sect1"> |
| <h2 id="_why_do_you_open_source_n4js"><a class="link" href="#_why_do_you_open_source_n4js">Why Do You Open-Source N4JS?</a></h2> |
| <div class="sectionbody"> |
| <div class="paragraph"> |
| <p>We stand on the shoulders of open technology and it’s our turn to give back. We see the strength of N4JS |
| not only for our own platform but as a foundation for others to build upon. This is why we release N4JS |
| as open-source. We are excited for feedback and always open for contributions!</p> |
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| <div class="sect1"> |
| <h2 id="_how_does_n4js_compare_to_javascriptecmascript"><a class="link" href="#_how_does_n4js_compare_to_javascriptecmascript">How does N4JS compare to JavaScript/ECMAScript?</a></h2> |
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| <p>N4JS is based on JavaScript/ECMAScript. Feature-wise it is a super set of ECMAScript: It supports all |
| constructs known from JavaScript and most features from ECMAScript 2015 (missing features are to be |
| added soon). Since it provides a static type checker, the transpiler may find errors in given n4js |
| files containing plain JavaScript code. It would then reject the compilation to JavaScript and issue |
| errors instead. In the N4JS IDE, you can also edit plain JavaScript. In that case, the type checker |
| won’t issue any errors but will probably lead to runtime errors.</p> |
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| <div class="sect1"> |
| <h2 id="_how_does_n4js_compare_to_java"><a class="link" href="#_how_does_n4js_compare_to_java">How does N4JS compare to Java?</a></h2> |
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| <p>N4JS is an extension of ECMAScript making it is as different from Java as ECMAScript itself. N4JS does |
| add features which are quite similar to Java and the general idea is to make ECMAScript as type safe as |
| Java. For that reason, N4JS adds a static type system to ECMAScript, many concepts of which are similar |
| to Java’s type system.</p> |
| </div> |
| <div class="paragraph"> |
| <p>We explain the <a href="comparison-java.html#comparison_java">differences and similarities between N4JS and Java on an |
| extra page</a>.</p> |
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| </div> |
| </div> |
| <div class="sect1"> |
| <h2 id="_how_does_n4js_compare_to_typescript"><a class="link" href="#_how_does_n4js_compare_to_typescript">How does N4JS compare to TypeScript?</a></h2> |
| <div class="sectionbody"> |
| <div class="paragraph"> |
| <p>We created N4JS with the goal to enable writing large ECMAScript projects that are as maintainable as |
| Java. To do this, we took the Java type system and adjusted it to ECMAScript’s characteristics. The N4JS |
| type checker is rigorous: type errors are not accepted. Where TypeScript also adds a static type system |
| on top of ECMAScript, their approach is quite the opposite in that their goal is to enable a smooth |
| transition from untyped to typed ECMAScript. The type checker in TypeScript makes some compromises in order |
| to accept more ECMAScript code.</p> |
| </div> |
| <div class="paragraph"> |
| <p>Eventually both approaches will lead to similar solutions: The smarter and better the type checker |
| of N4JS becomes, the more programs it will accept without losing its soundness. The smarter and better |
| TypeScript’s type checker becomes, the less gaps there will be for incorrect ECMAScript code.</p> |
| </div> |
| <div class="paragraph"> |
| <p>For a thorough explanation of the <a href="comparison-typescript.html#_comparison_typescript">differences and similarities |
| between N4JS and TypeScript</a> see our comparison page.</p> |
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