The official Signals RFC has come to a close. Yet, a common question lingers: do you actually know what an RFC is? A surprising number of people don't have a clear picture.
I only recently stepped into the release cycle for Angular's upcoming version. My previous lack of involvement stemmed from unfamiliarity with the process. I skipped following the proceedings and rarely engaged with the community. In hindsight, that was a significant miss.
The Signals RFC has officially wrapped up
The acronym RFC expands to “Request for Comments,” a mechanism for the Angular Team to solicit feedback on proposed modifications. The Signals RFC captured significant attention, generating more than 1000 comments.
When weighed against the millions of Angular developers globally, that number is relatively small. Plenty of those developers aren't actively influencing Angular's trajectory, nor are they engaging with the fantastic community around it. That's a real loss for everyone.
Feedback truly isn't falling on deaf ears. The Angular Team has already adapted certain proposals based on community input and intends to continue doing so.
Case in point:
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fromSignalandfromObservablewere redesignated astoObservableandtoSignalrespectively
Let your worries be known
While positive remarks are welcome, the Angular Team places the highest value on constructive criticism. It can be challenging to deliver, yet it is the most effective avenue for improvement.
Diving into the RFC section can feel overwhelming, given the sheer volume of comments and debate threads. Just deciphering the technical nuances is tough, not to mention tracking every response.
To bridge this gap for the community, I began composing articles on the recent Sub-RFCs. The objective was straightforward—explain the concepts accessibly so that people are equipped to think critically and generate meaningful discussion.
Sub-RFC 4 for Angular Signals sparks interesting discussion started by RxJS author — Ben Lesh
Signals Sub-RFC 3 — New Angular Reactive Approach or a Path to Confusion?
Minko Gechev on Angular 16 & 17 — game changer or loss of identity ?
Consolidating the key concerns
It appears my articles have been useful in keeping readers informed — highlighting how they can have a say and interact with the Angular Core Team! Participating is simple; just share your thoughts in the RFC, which lives within the Discussions section of the Angular repo (GitHub).
Despite this, I still saw considerable unease regarding the RFC's proposed changes. So, I took on the task of compiling every concern mentioned in the comments on the Signals RFC/Sub-RFCs. I posted this collection right before the deadline, deliberately avoiding deep technical details since such specifics are subject to change.
This effort had two primary aims:
Provide the Angular Team with a readily accessible consolidation of feedback for their future planning.
Assist community members in grasping the potential drawbacks of the proposed modifications, separated from the complex chatter found in the RFC's Discussions section.
Thanks to a few community members pitching in, I accomplished this. The summary is available here: https://github.com/angular/angular/discussions/49685#discussioncomment-5697665
Wrapping up the Angular Signals RFC
Alex Rickabaugh of the Angular Core Team followed up with his own synopsis. The Team appreciated the high level of involvement and recognized the validity of several community-raised issues.
In reaction to this, I organized a Twitter Spaces event featuring Angular experts to talk through the summary. Somewhat unexpectedly, a few members from the Angular Core Team popped in to both listen and address our queries!
Looking at Angular 16 and Beyond: Community in the Loop!
To kick things off, Angular's Mark Thompson was present, quietly listening for a while before formally joining in. He gave us his assurance that the recent direction will not alienate any current users.
Evolving Angular with a Sense of Duty
Following Mark's comments, Alex Rickabaugh took the virtual stage to elaborate further and reinforce that numerous aspects are still up in the air. The Angular Team sees its primary duty as ensuring the framework evolves responsibly, with the community playing a key role in the ultimate decisions.
If you have the time, I suggest revisiting the entire recording — it was packed with valuable insights and exchanges! https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1lPKqBkRwbbGb?s=20
Outcome of the Efforts
The steps I took fostered a stronger sense of community, clarified the RFC process for many, and opened direct lines of communication with the Angular Team. This approach eased the worries of numerous community members and sparked renewed enthusiasm for what lies ahead for Angular. As a result, many are now eager to participate in upcoming RFCs and play a part in defining the framework's direction.
Ways You Can Contribute
The Initial Discussion Stage
At this early point, potential enhancements and new ideas are explored in conversations between the team and the wider developer community.
How to get involved: Providing your perspectives and suggestions is crucial during this stage.
The Formal Proposal Stage
The team then drafts official proposals for new features or modifications. These written documents are shared on the **Angular GitHub repository** to undergo public scrutiny and comment.
Your Part: Offer your opinions on the proposed direction here.
Refining with Sub-Proposals
In response to feedback, the team may issue additional, more focused proposals to refine or elaborate on the initial ideas.
Your Part: Expect further dialogue and possible revisions at this juncture.
Moving to Build Phase
Once the proposals have been finalized, work begins to turn the concepts into actual code. This involves development, quality assurance, and revising official guides.
Your Part: Contribute to the coding, submit pull requests, flag bugs, or lend a hand with the documentation.
Testing Pre-Release Builds
Preliminary versions are distributed to allow developers to experiment with the upcoming functionality.
Can you guess?: The primary role here is to put the new features through their paces extensively!
The Stable Launch
With the issues uncovered during the testing phases resolved, the polished new version is published. However, your involvement is not done.
Keep Engaging: Following the release, remain vigilant for any problems and keep contributing your expertise.
Ready to influence Angular's path? Let's move forward together!
What's on the Horizon for RFCs
Signals Testing
New Control Flow Syntax
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