It seems like there is still a lot of enthusiasm for new compile-to-native languages, but I am particularly interested in compile-to-JavaScript.

I like static types and the ability to do encapsulation (eg with something like OO for defining data types). I like to feel like a language has a small “core” and relatively small syntax. I don’t like the Haskell syntax for functions (“Number -> Number -> Number,” that kind of stuff) as found in Elm and PureScript. I like the idea of MLs like Reason, but the details of how types and modules work, and the standard library, and the tool chain, are just all too weird for me. Some of it’s just really old cruft because OCaML is an old language, and also TypeScript’s approach to types makes a lot more sense to me, where types are expressions in terms of other types, and you can do what you want with them. But TypeScript is a big language that inherits JavaScript’s quirks.

I like that ClojureScript feels sort of small and has macros, but the dynamic typing, the memory-inefficient persistent data structures hard-coded into the language (and difficulty defining new data types and separating interface from implementation), and various other things rub me the wrong way.

I’ve looked at Haxe (couldn’t get into it), and Dart (too basic).

From what I’ve seen of Elm, the syntax is too Haskelly, but I don’t think the type system is very powerful. It’s also very hard to drop into JS when you need to, I hear.

Anyway, I know I’m complaining a lot and not being very specific. I just want to hear about languages I haven’t mentioned. I won’t be too harsh on anything you send my way.