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No compiling and linking required. Web and front end devs who are already familiar with JS can program IoT applications.

moonchrome 11y ago
>No compiling and linking required. Seriously ? The only build/library ecosystem that I hate more than C++ is javascript/node - it has all the same problems (a bunch of competing and incompatible standards/tools/patterns that do the same thing) but lower quality because of so much noise from low barriers to entry (hey at least you need to get C++ to compile on one compiler - that's something).
- lovelearning 11y ago
  In the context of IoT applications, the typical application is either a dashboard web page or a HTTP web service - hosted on the device in both cases - serving sensor information to whoever requests it. Both cases are easily implemented using Javascript on Firefox OS [1]. In contrast, a C(++) application would let you read the GPIO states. But all the HTTP stuff still needs to be implemented. What's a good way to do that? I know C(++), Python and Java. I might select one of these. Can I use Node.js and interface with the C(C++) code? I don't really know. I think such questions inhibit devs who have not done any/much backend programming from getting into the IoT field at all. Firefox OS solves that problem by exposing low level system interfaces via client-side JS. As for the larger topic of javascript vs C(++) ecosystem, I can't say much because I'm not that familiar with server side javascript. [1]: https://hacks.mozilla.org/2015/02/embedding-an-http-web-server-in-firefox-os/ https://hacks.mozilla.org/2015/02/embedding-an-http-web-serv...
rasz_pl 11y ago
the question is should they?
- lovelearning 11y ago
  It's a matter of personal interest and hobbies for me. Most of us have them, don't we? I'm not a good front end dev, but I still do some designing of UIs and websites. I'm not an electronics engineer, but I still build electronics circuits as a hobby. I'm not an artist, but I still use gimp and blender. It's just democratization of technologies. More, the merrier!

moonchrome 11y ago

>No compiling and linking required. Seriously ? The only build/library ecosystem that I hate more than C++ is javascript/node - it has all the same problems (a bunch of competing and incompatible standards/tools/patterns that do the same thing) but lower quality because of so much noise from low barriers to entry (hey at least you need to get C++ to compile on one compiler - that's something).

lovelearning 11y ago
In the context of IoT applications, the typical application is either a dashboard web page or a HTTP web service - hosted on the device in both cases - serving sensor information to whoever requests it. Both cases are easily implemented using Javascript on Firefox OS [1]. In contrast, a C(++) application would let you read the GPIO states. But all the HTTP stuff still needs to be implemented. What's a good way to do that? I know C(++), Python and Java. I might select one of these. Can I use Node.js and interface with the C(C++) code? I don't really know. I think such questions inhibit devs who have not done any/much backend programming from getting into the IoT field at all. Firefox OS solves that problem by exposing low level system interfaces via client-side JS. As for the larger topic of javascript vs C(++) ecosystem, I can't say much because I'm not that familiar with server side javascript. [1]: https://hacks.mozilla.org/2015/02/embedding-an-http-web-server-in-firefox-os/ https://hacks.mozilla.org/2015/02/embedding-an-http-web-serv...

rasz_pl 11y ago

the question is should they?

lovelearning 11y ago
It's a matter of personal interest and hobbies for me. Most of us have them, don't we? I'm not a good front end dev, but I still do some designing of UIs and websites. I'm not an electronics engineer, but I still build electronics circuits as a hobby. I'm not an artist, but I still use gimp and blender. It's just democratization of technologies. More, the merrier!