Ruby vs. Java vs. TypeScript: my experience on building a Cowork DOCX plugin
3 days ago
- #Document Processing
- #Plugin Development
- #Programming Languages
- Developed a Cowork DOCX plugin in Ruby, Java, and TypeScript, evaluating each for processing zip files and XML.
- Java emerged as the top choice due to mature built-in libraries for zip and XML, and static typing simplifying coding.
- TypeScript was ultimately selected for its potential compatibility with MCPB, reducing binary size by avoiding embedded runtimes.
- Encountered challenges in Ruby with lack of typing and bugs in libraries like rubyzip and nokogiri.
- Used Bun to create a single-executable binary for TypeScript, though faced issues with source maps in PostHog integration.
- Noted that Codex's plugin mechanism lags behind Claude Desktop, lacking features like CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT for binary execution.