The DL Bingo Project

What is the DL Bingo Project?

Whenever a new library or framework arrives and gains popularity, a couple of things happen:

1. The example project they use is almost always a todo list.
2. Everyone jumps on it and it becomes the defacto way to build apps, regardless of whether or not it solves their project's problems.
3. Developers know how to build apps with the library, but if they had to switch to another library, they will be lost.
4. Developers know how to build apps with the library, but don't know how it works and what makes it better than the previous library or framework that used to be the gold standard.

I've been working as a front-end engineer for 10+ years. I have been building applications and websites before open source JS libraries were popularize and necessary. I've also built apps when jQuery was at its height in popularity and usage. I've seen frameworks emerge and take 1st place, only to fade into the background in a few short years. I've worked at companies where they didn't trust external libraries and we had to write proprietary libraries and name space our library. I've even worked at companies that use libraries for eveything, even little tiny features that could have been written inhouse to save on file size.

Every library or framework is built because it is trying to solve a problem that has not been solved or to solve it better than the last library. Not every library can easily be replaced by another. Not every library will be the right tool for the problem your app is trying to solve. I've profesionally used Backbone.js, React.js, and some work with Ember.js. I've read or been told about the benefits and uses of other libraries, but I want to experience and figure this out for myself. So I created this project where I will build the same app several times using different libraries or frameworks. This way I can formulate my own opinion and also understand the points that are made by my peers.

I started this project in the summer of 2014. I just never had the time or motivation to finish it. I'm trying to push myself these days to get more personal projects done. I chose bingo because the world has enough todo list apps. I also felt a game would be more enjoyable to continue to recreate, especailly if I continue to add new features and game play.