This debate is a lot older than typescript vs. javascript and dates back to at least the nineties when languages such as python, perl, and others were creeping into production systems. Before that there were already things like tcl/tk and a few other things of course. And of course people were messing around with things like Basic as well.
A lot of the arguments against typing are a bit stale.
- We have transpilers now. Even most javascript coders use a transpiler or at least a minifier. The overhead of a type checker in such a tool chain is pretty minimal. Especially on a modern laptop.
- We have type inference and a few other modern compiler features now. Typing is a lot less verbose in e.g. Kotlin than it is in Java. Java now has a little bit of type inference but it is still pretty verbose in comparison. A lot of the typing is just added by tools as well.
- A lot of languages like python, ruby, and others have types now. And spin off languages that have better typing (e.g. Mojo, Crystal) and preserve most of the original languages perceived elegance. Just goes to show that typing can be done without too much compromises.
A lot of the arguments against typing are a bit stale.
- We have transpilers now. Even most javascript coders use a transpiler or at least a minifier. The overhead of a type checker in such a tool chain is pretty minimal. Especially on a modern laptop.
- We have type inference and a few other modern compiler features now. Typing is a lot less verbose in e.g. Kotlin than it is in Java. Java now has a little bit of type inference but it is still pretty verbose in comparison. A lot of the typing is just added by tools as well.
- A lot of languages like python, ruby, and others have types now. And spin off languages that have better typing (e.g. Mojo, Crystal) and preserve most of the original languages perceived elegance. Just goes to show that typing can be done without too much compromises.