
Ask HN: Is JavaScript the first truly universal language? - prmph
Write once, run anywhere has been a dream since as long as I remember, and I have been developing since 1997. Java was probably the closest we came (before the rise of JavaScript), but there was several other attempts.<p>JavaScript runs on practically every architecture, on client and server, and is even poised to become a major language for embedded systems and hence IoT. It&#x27;s popularity shows no sign of slowing down. Like CSS or IMAP, it may not be a particularly good technology (though it is being improved with transpilers and the like), but it has become a de-facto standard that will be very hard to replace.<p>The tech world is always churning through standards. Has fortuitous circumstances combined to make JavaScript the universal language that has been desired for so long?
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mhd
There are more of them computer thingies floating around, but other than sheer
scope, it's not much different than BASIC. And just like this, you'll end up
with plenty of cousin languages that just share some basic genes. Personally,
I wouldn't call that programming Appalachia a "dream" or "fortuitous".

Even with ES6, I just don't get the appeal. I'd much rather use three to
eleven languages, if each of them fit the task better. (and regarding prior
art in "universal" languages, I'd have preferred if PostScript made it bigger)

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coreyp_1
IMO: no.

First of all, I _love_ JavaScript, and I think it could be used for far more
than it currently is.

Having said that, it is not good for every problem, due to limitations of the
language itself. It is not multi-threaded. It is not good for CPU-intensive
operations (transcoding video, encryption tasks, etc.) It does not allow
direct access to memory.

I still love it, and it is closer to being a universal language than most
people think, but I also believe that the designed limitations are still an
issue.

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dman
Are you forgetting C?

