Should I use the YUI Compressor or the new Google Closure compiler to compress my JavaScript?

Question

YUI Compressor was the consensus best tool for minimizing, but Closure seems like it could be better.

Answer 1

I think it depends on your code. If you want to compile your own code, then I think it is worth it to patch the code so that it works with Closure Compiler (some things might seem a bit awkward at the start). I believe Closure Compiler soon will be the top choice for such jobs and it will also make you to tidy up your code a bit and maintain consistent style (of course it depends on your preferences, you might hate some parts, I do :P ).

If you depend on other libraries then in my opinion you should wait a bit until they release Closure Compiler compatible versions. It shouldn't take much time for most popular libraries out there. And maybe you can provide fixes for those "not-so-active" libraries which you use yourself.

I'm talking about Advanced Compilation mode here, the Simple Compilation mode as some has pointed out is fairly safe to use.

And here's a different opinion - Google Closure ? I'm Not Impressed. It's maybe a little bit too harsh, but nice read. I guess only time will tell which one is better =)