Why I’m Leaving Elm (lukeplant.me.uk)

Article summary

The author is leaving the Elm programming language due to issues with its leadership and development process. They cite technical limitations, such as the restriction on native modules, and a lack of openness in the development process. The author also feels that the project's claim to be open source is questionable. They are migrating to another language, likely Bucklescript, and do not recommend Elm to others.

Main themes

• Elm leadership and development process
• Technical limitations of Elm
• Open source and community involvement
• Alternative programming languages
• Forking and patching Elm
• Language design and philosophy
• Community dynamics and conflict

What commenters say

• The Elm core team's leadership style is dictatorial and unresponsive to community needs.
• The restriction on native modules in Elm 0.19 is a significant technical limitation that hinders development.
• Some commenters have had similar negative experiences with Elm and are switching to alternative languages like ReasonML or ClojureScript.
• Others defend the Elm core team's decisions and argue that the language's design and limitations are intentional and beneficial.
• A fork of the Elm compiler could be a possible solution to the community's grievances, but it would require significant effort and resources.
• The concept of open source and community involvement is complex and nuanced, and different projects have different approaches to balancing leadership and collaboration.
• Some commenters appreciate the author's nuanced and well-reasoned critique of Elm and its community.
• Others disagree with the author's assessment and argue that the Elm core team is not unreasonable or unresponsive to community needs.