failure to handle the "browser" field in dependencies' package.json

[gravsten]

I'm submitting a bug report

• Library Version:
  0.27.0

Please tell us about your environment:

• Operating System:
  Windows 8.1

• Node Version:
  6.10.0

• NPM Version:
  3.10.10

Current behavior:
Several libs show a "browser" field in their package.json, which can be of several forms :

1. alternative "main", e.g. "index-browser"
2. arguments, e.g. leveldown = false

aurelia-cli ignores this information, thus requiring the same dependencies as the node version... which inevitably fails.
As a result, users have to edit aurelia.json to add a "main" section, or worse edit the library to hard-code any arguments that change its behaviour for the browser.

Expected/desired behavior:
The "browser" section of package.json should be taken into account when loading and tracing a dependency module.

• What is the motivation / use case for changing the behavior?
  Make the inclusion of certain libraries (e.g. pouchdb-adapter-memory) seamless, save the developers' time, and more importantly bring peace and happiness among all nations and people.

[gravsten]

About 10% of the dependencies in a typical setup, and
exactly 5,7% of the dependencies in the base Aurelia project created with 'au new' and the TypeScript option, present a "browser" section in their package.json

aurelia-cli 0.27.0 fails to handle the "browser" section and, considering the above, this post is more like a bug report than an enhancement request.

[JeroenVinke]

Thanks for opening these issues, all of them should be supported by the CLI. Just because they are flagged as enhancements, does not necessarily mean that they do not take priority over issues flagged as bugs. In fact, improving the bundler is a priority of mine, and the issues you've opened will help a lot, so thanks!

[JeroenVinke]

Example package: https://github.com/mzabriskie/axios

[Deterus]

Adding another example package in case multiple instances were useful. https://www.npmjs.com/package/uuid