When is this JavaScript idiocy going to end? Is there some kind of conspiracy on HN and reddit where every other day somebody comes along to sing JavaScript's praises? The language has been around for donkey's years and yet every other day we get an announcement about some new square plug has been made to fit into a Javascript round hole.
I mean if JavaScript is so wonderful then why haven't all the important things which could and should have been accomplished with it been done by now? This madness must end.
The amount of time a younger and current generation of programmers have spent futzing around JavaScript simply borders on a cruel, criminal and wastful abuse of their time and talent. So much time trying to solve programs which were fixed in other languages ages ago and inadequately so, simply because it is 1 an interpreter, 2 it is the only one running in the browser (aka THE universal platform)
If Google, Microsoft et al in their desire to rent software, hang on to users data and whatnots are willing to persist with it that's fine, but why should acquiescence to their agenda lead to slavish fanboyism at the altar of Javascript?
Sorry if I have derailed someone's thread or pooped someone's party but the sheer impedance mismatch of this development platform drives me nuts.
> So much time trying to solve programs which were fixed in other languages ages ago and inadequately so, simply because it is 1 an interpreter, 2 it is the only one running in the browser (aka THE universal platform)
This is not a trivial benefit to which further attention can be dismissed as "slavish fanboyism". The biggest strength of JavaScript, by far, is its ubiquity. Without discussing whether it was or was not a waste of time to build such a wide variety of JavaScript-programmable platforms in the first place, this is the reality. With it, you can:
- Produce "binaries" that are universally executable via the browser platform
- Perform a wide variety of system-software-level functions, such as I/O
- Perform hardware level operations
- Render 3D graphics
- Serve as a compilation target for other languages
In what other language can you write a program which will run on such a combinatorial explosion of operating systems, hardware platforms and CPU architectures, let alone with reasonable performance?
I will agree that the language itself is inelegant, that there are many difficulties with using it in the browser, that reimplementing existing technology atop JavaScript can result in poor performance, etc. But to call it "madness" that people deploy to such a universal platform is silly. The gains are self-sustaining, and at the core (the browser) there is no other choice.
> In what other language can you write a program which will run on such a combinatorial explosion of operating systems, hardware platforms and CPU architectures, let alone with reasonable performance?
By that do you mean Android, iOS and Windows?
This what I call acquiescing. The simple fact is that coding in Javascript gives the Big Three access to your raw code, or makes it easier to deobfuscate it. Why have Microsoft brought out TypeScript and Google Dart, if Javascript is so great? Because it is not. Who are the standards bodies besides these 3? Who controls and directs the W3C policies. Extending Javascript to make it easier to work with or supplanting it with a new backwards compatible version shouldn't be a big deal, but of course these 3 will always disagree to disagree so long as it gives them an advantage over mass of developers out there an advantage and forces them through their marketplaces.
Javascript is ubiquitous on the web. That is a huge advantage it has over other languages. People started using it to do cool things on the web, which is great. "Hey, Javascript is not so bad" is the correct sentiment.
But, I also agree with you. Are people only using it everywhere because it's what they know, or am I missing something that proves it's actually the right tool for all these jobs?
I like Javascript, but every time I see people go gaga over some choppy implementation of 1995 technology in Javascript, I have to laugh.
It looks great, but: no ReSharper, I don't like JS transpilers, no way my employer will switch to something obscure. Promoting new languages is hard, even Google has a lot of trouble promoting Go and Dart.
JS is a weird language. There are competing quasi compatible implementations from a few different entities. Meaningful standards have taken a long time to come about. JQuery was the turning point I think.
My point is it's very accessible, getting more features every day and suited perfectly for the client/server model used in most applications today. That's probably a good fit for how we will interact with little embedded devices. Because they will likely connect to a home server.
It's not the best tool for every job, but experimenting is the best way really find out. If nothing else they'll learn from it.
> I mean if JavaScript is so wonderful then why haven't all the important things which could and should have been accomplished with it been done by now? This madness must end.
Well, almost.
* Web - check
* Mobile - Appcelerator Titanium - check
* Servers - NodeJS - check
* Hardware - TesselIO - check
* Desktop - Windows 8 - check
I mean if JavaScript is so wonderful then why haven't all the important things which could and should have been accomplished with it been done by now? This madness must end.
The amount of time a younger and current generation of programmers have spent futzing around JavaScript simply borders on a cruel, criminal and wastful abuse of their time and talent. So much time trying to solve programs which were fixed in other languages ages ago and inadequately so, simply because it is 1 an interpreter, 2 it is the only one running in the browser (aka THE universal platform)
If Google, Microsoft et al in their desire to rent software, hang on to users data and whatnots are willing to persist with it that's fine, but why should acquiescence to their agenda lead to slavish fanboyism at the altar of Javascript?
Sorry if I have derailed someone's thread or pooped someone's party but the sheer impedance mismatch of this development platform drives me nuts.