
A Homepage for the JavaScript Specification - weinzierl
https://hacks.mozilla.org/2019/03/a-homepage-for-the-javascript-specification/
======
Illniyar
TC39 definitely needs a better, clearer website for people to browse then just
using github repositories. So this is quite welcomed.

At the moment though there's nothing in it. No search capabilities or unique
content and practically all links redirect to github. This isn't an MVP it's a
prototype, with little value at the moment. Hopefully things will improve
soon, but by shipping such a skinned down website they won't get the product
launch effect again.

~~~
LewisJEllis
Product launch effect? They're a language standards committee, not a company.
The entire online world already uses their product.

What search capabilities are you hoping for that are currently missing?

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Illniyar
It's a product, and they've just launched it. The fact that they aren't a for-
profit company is not really relevant.

Nobody uses the product right now, and by product I mean the TS39 website. And
assuming that one of the purpose of the website is to be used they'll want the
site to have traffic and traction or it's just a waste of effort.

Product launch can have a very big effect on future traffic - that means that
many people are exposed to the site, and if it proves useful they might also
start using it. As it stands no one is going to return to this site instead of
going directly to the github account.

"What search capabilities are you hoping for that are currently missing? "

At the top of the hat, searching for specs in different stages? or by topic,
or date. Without search the site can't be a location for discovery, and since
it has no new content, it isn't a consumption website either. If you look at
it, its basically a glorified landing page. Not something that is useful for
the majority of its audience, I believe.

~~~
debaserab2
A websites doesn't have to be a product. It can just be... an informational
website. Not everything that goes on the internet needs to be hyperoptimized.

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nivexous
The new syntax for #private vars is truly terrible and the arguments for it
are not compelling enough - some flavor of soft private would be OK. Please,
if anyone from TC39 is reading, take the criticism seriously.

~~~
andyfleming
Wow. I had not seen that and I can't say that I'm a fan. I hope this doesn't
end up in the language this way.

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userbinator
I am somewhat amused (and relieved) that the website for the JS spec does not
itself require JS to read.

 _we have shipped a website_

That is an unusual phrasing. Was it too simple to use "created"?

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brianzelip
re: "shipped", there's quite a lot going on there! [0] I know I'd feel pretty
shipped after that!

[0]
[https://github.com/tc39/tc39.github.io](https://github.com/tc39/tc39.github.io)

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revskill
Javascript is the first language which targets the DOM. Great first step ! The
future of Javascript, i think, will target all platforms. Consider it as a
meta language to compile to native platforms is one way for the adoption of JS
itself.

~~~
krapp
>Consider it as a meta language to compile to native platforms is one way for
the adoption of JS itself.

Compiling to javascript was never a good idea, it was only ever, at best, an
adequate kludge for which no alternative existed. Now we have Webassembly, an
_actual_ bytecode which can run on native platforms and the web, and which
doesn't carry the semantic issues that come with compiling one high level
language to another poorly written, poorly designed, poorly typed one and
pretending it's basically the same as machine code running on bare metal.

We can finally drive Javascript back to the web where it belongs and where it
should remain quarantined.

~~~
tinus_hn
You are giving Javascript much less credit than it deserves. There is a reason
it is used so much outside of webpages.

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mtberatwork
> There is a reason it is used so much outside of webpages.

How are you coming to that conclusion? The current Tiobe index still has Java,
C and Python topping the popularity charts. [1] If you put any credence into
whatever this W3Tech site is about, Javascript's popularity as a server-side
language even seems to be overblown. [2]

[1] [https://www.tiobe.com/tiobe-index/](https://www.tiobe.com/tiobe-index/)
[2]
[https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/programming_langua...](https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/programming_language/all)

~~~
tinus_hn
Are you seriously proposing c is the second most used language for web
applications?

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mtberatwork
No, but not really following as to how you thought that I was?

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tinus_hn
Your comment is quite confusing. What is your argument? According to your
references Javascript is the 7th or 8th most used programming language. That
counts as ‘a lot’ to me.

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mtberatwork
You are arguing:

> There is a reason it is used so much outside of webpages.

I'm asking how you are coming to this conclusion. I personally do not see any
evidence to support this and if you take any of these popularity/usage surveys
into account, they do not support this either.

> 7th or 8th most used programming language. That counts as ‘a lot’ to me.

I mean, come on...that's not the same thing as "is used so much outside of
webpages".

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seba_dos1
Yeah, it isn't really used much outside of webpages and web tech like
Electron. The only applications where it has non-trivial usage are those that
cater to webdevelopers.

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tobr
Never seen that logo before. For some reason they set the numbers in Roboto
but “TC” in something Avenir like. [EDIT: It’s probably Neutra Text, which the
JS logo uses]

It looks bonkers, and not in a good way.

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jokoon
Please, can someone have the courage to fix the weird gimmicks of JS, even it
means breaking backward compatibility?

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tudelo
Of course, just break backwards compatibility. I am sure that will have
popular support from the community.

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jokoon
it's for the greater good

~~~
alexcabrera
Having everyone's code break is not the greater good

