Moving to Node.js core

[kushal-likhi]

Hi,

We are in process of introducing a collections module in the NodeJs core in the future versions of NodeJs. Instead of building a one from scratch we are thinking to take one from community which in popular and prepare it for the core.

If you are interested and have no objections in considering your module to be a contender to be moved to core, then let us know we can proceed further.

The process of moving to core will be like:

1. Testing for completeness and decide over the API we intend and the one present and gaps to be filled.
2. Fill the gaps for the API.
3. Benchmark the module and make sure it lies within the performance benchmarks, if not see if that can be improved.
4. Promote in community.
5. If all good, move a release to Node-Core

Looking forward for your views

Regards

[kriskowal]

I have a lot of thoughts about this and there is no way I am going to get them all down in this reply, so let us consider this the beginning of a conversation. There are pros and cons to consolidating Collections into Node.js proper. The most useful question to me is, what motivates this idea?

• What specific features in core would benefit from using collections internally or features in core that would be more expressive if they exposed collections?
• Set and Map are defined by ECMAScript Harmony. Will they not suffice for Node.js’s purposes? For example, do above features need change observers or intrinsic sort order?

Pro

• The collections package can serve as the Browserify (and its kin) shim for so-called “isomorphic” usage. No additional effort.

Con

• Version coordination becomes troublesome. Users have to wait for a new Node.js version for new features and longer for backward-incompatible API changes.
• MontageJS are Collections in a lot of ways a “prollyfill”, hoping to pave a cow path for ECMAScript. As such, with any luck, the need for these libraries will fade over time.
• There is no way all of http://collectionsjs.com is going to fit in the Node.js API reference.

Regardless of whether Node.js subsumes Collections, we would emphatically appreciate help vetting the API for completeness and performance and help promoting the use of Collections in the Node.js and browser communities.

[rektide]

Could someone kindly please provide backlinks to wherever Node.js raised this idea of tossing a collections library into Node.js core?

[kushal-likhi]

Hi, thats a great reply, let me try to answer some of your questions inline:

The most useful question to me is, what motivates this idea? Well the answer is behind the reason how are modules decided to go in Node Core ex: fs, childProcess etc. The modules which almost everyone is using on general basis and people feels like that there should be a standard tested unified toolkit for that available out of the box as generally every 2 out of 3 people would be using it eventually goes into the core. Also one important thing is that the module/API should be in compliance with future updates in language as well as framework like you mentioned about ECMAScript. We don't want people to be using random API's for trivial stuff and make it harder for everyone to update core platform in the future. Plus we need to provide stable usability features within the framework.

Right now we are in very initial talks of getting in the Collections's API into core, and we are evaluating the effort and the timelines it will cause, but of-course the introduction of this idea will take the open source path via issue in NodeJs repo to community introduction and feedback. It might take months before it is part of a NodeJs release, but there has to be a start and a roadmap defined.

Yes we know there is a lot of operational stuff to be figured out but right now its more important to figure out that if this will happen and how.

[kriskowal]

@kushal-likhi Could you clarify who “we” includes? This is likely to be contentious and it would be useful to know who is on board with the idea.

[kriskowal]

Closing until further communication from Node.js core contributors comes in.