What is the current state of Meteor?

An example of where the state of Meteor could really use an uplift without much complicated development: End to end testing.

There is a blog on it:

Which contains lots of older information, if you start implementing it you run into the fact that plugins in Cypress are deprecated now and that there are other ways to do the things.

Those kind of functionalities would greatly benefit from an up-to-date start method which is opinionated so you can just run an “install” command and you would have access to end-to-end testing. All details important specifically for Meteor are already listed but it’s a static blog - not code.

Ran into many issues with loading the mocks for the tests. Paths which are not setup properly. Typescript plugins needed to be installed. All to the things you don’t have when working with Meteor pieces. Spent hours on technical work instead of adding value.

2 Likes

I’ve been using meteor for quite a long time, but recently I’ve had to stop advocating for it in my companies because policies dictate that we are OBE Node 14. I still use it in all my personal projects, and when ever I do I’m constantly reminded how refreshing it is to not have to setup all the “things” I’d have to do in my company to start a new project.

Issues like running on Windows, locked into Node14, and having two package management systems can make it tough for new users to pick up. Without a deep understanding of how Meteor operates it can be frustrating for new users once they get past some of the tutorials. I’ve had a hard time even explaining how meteor operates to other very experienced developers…who ultimately just say “that’s too complicated” and we go another route.

So, my 2 cents, if you’ve stuck around and been using Meteor for a long time you are likely always going to see its power and potential. If you’re new-ish, Meteor may seem like a joke compared to other frameworks. If you’re brand-new, and looking to adopt Meteor (especially if advocating it for professional use), I’d say put a pin in it until after it doesn’t need its own Node14 to run. Not saying 3.0 is going to solve everything, but at least your security / compliance team won’t leave the room laughing at you.

1 Like