> Everything is alive, integrated, and can be changed.
Every few years it seems, I become confused. I write some prototypical javascript, which goes well, and I'm puzzled: "Wait, why hasn't javascript become at least smalltalk-like in being alive, integrated, and deeply changable?" Explanations based on developer ignorance pale with the passing years, and with the active tool-building community.
Then I have to mock some browser api, and I remember. Browser javascript - language of a hundred primitives types. A few language primitives, Object, and hundred browser types doing a half-assed job of pretending to be objects. Instead of "get it right, and then write a fast path", browser dev seems to be "write the fast path first, and then pretend we're done". :/
(Yes, Smalltalk has issues scaling complexity - I didn't say scales well.)
Ah well. At least it makes it easy to watch for a language that isn't crippling. Energetic rapid phase transitions are hard to miss.
Every few years it seems, I become confused. I write some prototypical javascript, which goes well, and I'm puzzled: "Wait, why hasn't javascript become at least smalltalk-like in being alive, integrated, and deeply changable?" Explanations based on developer ignorance pale with the passing years, and with the active tool-building community.
Then I have to mock some browser api, and I remember. Browser javascript - language of a hundred primitives types. A few language primitives, Object, and hundred browser types doing a half-assed job of pretending to be objects. Instead of "get it right, and then write a fast path", browser dev seems to be "write the fast path first, and then pretend we're done". :/
(Yes, Smalltalk has issues scaling complexity - I didn't say scales well.)
Ah well. At least it makes it easy to watch for a language that isn't crippling. Energetic rapid phase transitions are hard to miss.