For any UI devs:

I’ve starting working on a lemmy front end called lemmy-ui-leptos using leptos, a Rust UI framework with isomorphic support, and tailwind + daisyUI for the component styling. This could eventually replace the frankenstein’s monster that lemmy-ui has become.

Some reasons for doing this:

  • lemmy-ui uses infernojs, which is based on the react model. IMO is largely superseded by signal-based reactivity in use in android jetpack-compose, SolidJS, and most new UI frameworks.
  • I had to hack on isomorphic support / server-side-rendering to infernoJS, and it’s very messy. Leptos has isomorphic support out of the box.
  • All the benefits of Rust over javascript.
    • Since leptos is in Rust, we can import the lemmy types directly.
    • I’ve been waiting for years for a good rust UI framework, and I think we’re finally here with leptos or sycamore.
  • lemmy-ui uses bootstrap, which is showing its age and limitations. Tailwind (and daisyUI) seem to be much more future-proof.

I plan on leaving the site design and component styling to other, more skilled UI devs, while I work mostly on the auth, services, params, and overall back-end structure.

  • Please use daisyUI classes tho whenever possible over exhaustive tailwind ones.
  • I’d also like it if the UI could match that of jerboa’s (whenever possible), so that a change in one could be represented in the other, and so that things like badge appearance for admins, could be recognizeable across lemmy’s front ends.

You don’t really need to learn rust to help out with this, as the components look very similar to JSX. Instructions for running it are in the CONTRIBUTING.md . Feel free to contribute!

Right now only the home page, and post pages are working, but ready to be styled.

  • esscew@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    why? You can codegen from rs to ts for types. I fully understand wanting to learn Rust or test frameworks. It’s a great language, but it feels like a huge risk to bet on an unproven framework (and currently proven to be slower WASM) as the future of front-end, especially when there are existing frameworks that would garner more support and expertise on the front-end.