OK, so I started dabbling with Dart and wanted I've been wanting to do this for 3 years. Please bear in mind, I want to use Dart because coding in JS directly is not something I thoroughly enjoyed the last time I built a 'real' Web App. This is not a critique of Dart, it's just my recent experience ... if any of the points I make here make no sense, please correct me (I really don't want to use JS anymore!)

So I start by installing the Dart SDK on my Windows PC. First surprise, I noticed they no longer package the Dart-IDE when you install Dart SDK, a minor disappointment. But I get it, the Dart team explains they want to focus on core tools and let you use any editor (Web Storm is suggested but costs $$$, and remember I'm only scouting at this point). So decided to use the plugin for Dart in Sublime Text 3. Not perfect, but it works fairly well.

Other surprise, Polymer seems to be fading away. What Widget framework shall I choose? I chose React for it's one way binding which seems to make sense to a web n00b like me, since it will simplify the flow of data. The Dart team pushes Angular really hard, but I still install the Dart-react modules. Adding dependencies to a Dart project is fairly straight forward so far.

Using Dart-React does not bring the happy unicorns knocking at my door. Dart React does not (yet?) process JSX, which is a pretty big feature I intended to use with Dart. JSX allows you to define your components and reuse them. Oh well, no JSX, but I'll just have to resort to coding React components in Dart (which turns out to be a bit of a mess ...)

Now my shiney new Dart app needs to display some huge lists of Data in tables/grids. I could build my own, but surely some smart dev has done this before me! Found Slick Grid, but it's for JS (the Dart port is not as performant). Dart tools mentions that there is a JS Interop 'shortcut': If a JS component has been annotated (Typescript) you can use the annotated files to generate Dart Modules!

So I run the tool on the annotated Slick Grid typescript files. Success! It does generate the Dart libs! Ouuups, my boiler plate Dart project does not compile anymore since adding the Slick grid modules. Dig some more, fix the compilation issues (some obscure option was missing when converting from TS to Dart).

We're back on track, my project compiles but... no grid ever show up. Looks like it's time to test the debugging features for Dart. I get Dart to generate .map files for my project. This basically allows you to debug Dart code in browser (FF for me), and the debugging begins. I can spot exactly on which line of my Dart code the grid is supposed to be instantiated, but this requires me to move through the Dart to JS interop code and try to understand why there is a JS exception thrown somewhere.

So, maybe for some Dart gurus out there this is simple and run of the mill stuff. I would like to hear from you. So far I still don't have any data grids to show my huge data set ... and am still wondering if I'm going to install Typescript which seems more tightly coupled (in a good way) to JS.

Calling all Dart gurus, give me your thoughts on this, I want to use Dart and have it succeed.

Dart Noob