Evaluating Fulcro (or web development tools in general)

We understand that it is hard to evaluate tools. Developers spend countless hours trying to figure out what tool is right for the job at hand.

I would encourage you not to just look at superficial criteria like “is it easy to get started?” Those concerns rarely affect your long-term success. Look more deeply. Try writing a simple full-stack application in each (or at least look for a full-stack example). Many things that are easy to get started with devolve into code with constructs that are fragile, difficult to reason about, and are hard to navigate (such as chains of asynchrony that can be defined by delarations in any file).

One thing that has been really helpful in evaluating tech is a spreadsheet listing out the various properties that are important. Assign each a weight (a simple multiplier) to adjust for relative importance, and then have each developer blindly vote 1-10 on how well they think a given tool set solves the requirement. Average votes those together and place the result in the correct place in the spreadsheet.

Here is a link to a spreadsheet you can clone in Google Docs that has many of the criteria that have a significant advantage/disadvantage in Fulcro. Add other tools you’re evaluating and use if for an in-house custom a head-to-head comparison. Good Luck!

Web Tool Comparison Worksheet

Instructions

1. Log in (and create if needed) to a google account
2. Open the link above to the spreadsheet
3. Choose File -> Make a Copy to make an editable copy
4. Read/edit/add/delete the criteria list to match things that are important to you.
5. Assign a weight to each (any number…don’t limit it to 10. Something might be so critical as to need a larger number)
6. Put your other candidates across the top (where I’ve prewritten things like Reagent)
7. Put a score (1-10) under each tool for each criteria