The ubiquity of JavaScript is undeniable; it’s the universal language of the web — a position that no other languages hold. JavaScript is flexible, able to adapt and grow as the web grows. But that flexibility is often the downfall of JavaScript; without a disciplined team working diligently to keep the codebase maintainable, JavaScript can fall apart. Enter TypeScript. A superset of JavaScript, TypeScript adds the option of typing, static analysis, and interfaces in order to create code that is easier to maintain. Simply put, TypeScript is a better way of writing JavaScript, and at SitePen, we think that’s pretty neat — which is why we started TSConf.
TSConf is the first conference dedicated exclusively to TypeScript. Organized by SitePen, TSConf is a conference where we spend the day discussing the best practices and advanced features of the language, including information from key members of the TypeScript team. While the inaugural Seattle TSConf occurred in 2018, its follow-up event was even more successful. TSConf has helped to set the stage for TypeScript’s future, bringing together developers, engineers, and the community.
How TypeScript Is Changing Web App Development
We recognized the potential TypeScript had all the way back in 2013. By embracing and extending JavaScript as a strict superset, we knew that TypeScript could bring significant tooling improvements to the language we already loved through its addition of optional typing and static analysis tooling. By 2014, we were already experimenting with how to utilize TypeScript to bring order to the mayhem of large-scale web application development.
To us, TypeScript is not a language. It’s a tool used to better write JavaScript by providing IntelliSense, refactoring, and reference support for the price of a build step and type annotations. TypeScript can (and is!) changing the face of web application development as we know it.
Why We Started a Conference Dedicated to TypeScript
Once we started incorporating TypeScript into our web application development process, we couldn’t stop. Since then, we have fully embraced TypeScript as our language of choice. For all of the full-stack development that we do, the new Dojo is a robust TypeScript framework. Wherever we went, we were talking about TypeScript. We wrote blogs about TypeScript, we talked about it on our TalkScript Podcast— and we weren’t the only ones! Many front-end developers also saw the benefit of transpiling code to take advantage of the latest EcmaScript language features. TypeScript was the no-brainer method of providing that and more! So we thought, “Why not talk about it some more?”
And that’s exactly what we did. We figured the next best way to talk about TypeScript was to attend a conference. It would be a wonderful way to connect face-to-face with other professionals who recognized how important TypeScript was. There was just one problem — there was no conference dedicated specifically to TypeScript. Sure, there were panels on it. Maybe there was a workshop or two, but there wasn’t a conference dedicated specifically to the language enthusiasts like us who were interested in connecting with other passionate TypeScript developers.
So we made one.
About TSConf
While visiting the TypeScript team at Microsoft, we casually asked them when they were going to run a TypeScript-centric conference. They responded with “Do you want to do it?” And oh boy, we did. Not only did we want to support the best practices that TypeScript provides, but we also wanted to contribute to the Open Source Community.
Our team set off to investigate what it would take to run the first-ever conference focused exclusively on TypeScript and the people and projects in its ecosystem. And in 2018, a single-day, single-track conference was born. With a keynote presentation from Anders Hejlsberg, the lead architect of TypeScript, speakers passionate about TypeScript came together to discuss how they are using TypeScript, how it can be utilized in the industry, promoting TypeScript adoption at their workplace, and even how they’re building games — all with the help of TypeScript!
TSConf brings together the TypeScript enthusiasts in the community for an action-packed day full of fun conversation, creative ideas, and lasting connections. From independent developers to engineers of large startups to the TypeScript team themselves, the TSConf is a space where you can get inspired by your peers and see what’s next for the community.
But don’t take our word for it! Join us at the next TSConf and experience for yourself this ardent and exciting community of language enthusiasts.
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