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It's important to remember that ChakraCore only currently builds on Windows, so this is only for Windows Node.js builds. The ChakraCore roadmap [1] shows that

It's important to remember that ChakraCore only currently builds on Windows, so this is only for Windows Node.js builds. The ChakraCore roadmap [1] shows that they plan on porting the interpreter to Ubuntu, but not to Mac OS, and they don't plan on porting the JIT. So even it does go Windows + Linux, it will still be a low-performing toy on Linux. This is vaguely interesting from a technical point of view, but doesn't seem like it'll majorly impact the future of Node.js, except maybe as something Microsoft can offer for Azure customers that choose Windows Server. [1]: https://github.com/Microsoft/ChakraCore/wiki/Roadmap https://github.com/Microsoft/ChakraCore/wiki/Roadmap

ihsw 11y ago
Seems comparable to the divide between Go and GccGo -- largely identical but conceptually very distinct. I don't know of anyone voluntarily using GccGo.
domenicd 11y ago
There was just a comment on GitHub [1] that updates this a bit: > For cross-platform support, the key target for next six months on the roadmap is to get the interpreter & runtime working. JIT would come after that (don't read it as no JIT forever - it was just a breakdown of what we need enable and its ordering for next 6 mos). So maybe eventually it will be fully supported. (No update on Mac OS yet, but I can give them the benefit of the doubt there...) [1]: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/4765#issuecomment-172942563 https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/4765#issuecomment-172942...
dogma1138 11y ago
Didn't they open sourced the engine? If so people can port it as they like.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
bterlson 11y ago
The goal is for all of ChakraCore to be broadly cross-platform eventually, including the JIT, and including many more platforms than just Ubuntu x64. The roadmap reflects our next steps for the next 6 months but is not the entire journey. Disclosure: I work on Chakra
- shawn-butler 11y ago
  >> An implementation of ChakraCore interpreter and runtime, no JIT, on Linux. You should update the wiki if you work on the project then. The stated roadmap goal seems fairly clear and aligns with a typical Microsoft strategy to ensure Windows remains the premium platform for its "open source" efforts. Not being negative that is just the way it has gone in the past so you are fighting an uphill battle. Disclosure: None
  - bterlson 11y ago
    Thanks for your thoughts :) We've updated the roadmap[1] to call out that JIT and more platforms are coming in future iterations. 1: https://github.com/Microsoft/ChakraCore/wiki/Roadmap https://github.com/Microsoft/ChakraCore/wiki/Roadmap
  - jeswin 11y ago
    Even the updated Roadmap suggests that Windows remains the primary platform. This Windows-first backend is a bad idea for Node.js, unless the team (and MS) commits to supporting Linux and Mac on par with Windows. That includes not releasing unless they have performance/feature parity on all major OSes, and committing equal resources to all. While MS is nowhere as powerful as it was in the 90s, this is exactly how MS-Java happened and why Sun went to court.
    - Sanddancer 11y ago
      Almost all software has a primary platform. There are a lot of free software apps where windows is either not a priority, or where the devs refuse to implement patches that improve how it works under windows. Additionally, this is just one engine that node supports, in addition to v8, and I assume that with this, other engines can, or could be added in the future. Node's goal is to be a javascript server platform, and that means having hooks both upward and downward to make developers' jobs easier.
      - jeswin 11y ago
emilsedgh 11y ago
And how do they expect to be taken seriously if they are not going truly cross platform?
joegaudet 11y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the big win here having Node.js run on Vuze ?

ihsw 11y ago

Seems comparable to the divide between Go and GccGo -- largely identical but conceptually very distinct. I don't know of anyone voluntarily using GccGo.

domenicd 11y ago

There was just a comment on GitHub [1] that updates this a bit: > For cross-platform support, the key target for next six months on the roadmap is to get the interpreter & runtime working. JIT would come after that (don't read it as no JIT forever - it was just a breakdown of what we need enable and its ordering for next 6 mos). So maybe eventually it will be fully supported. (No update on Mac OS yet, but I can give them the benefit of the doubt there...) [1]: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/4765#issuecomment-172942563 https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/4765#issuecomment-172942...

dogma1138 11y ago

Didn't they open sourced the engine? If so people can port it as they like.

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

bterlson 11y ago

The goal is for all of ChakraCore to be broadly cross-platform eventually, including the JIT, and including many more platforms than just Ubuntu x64. The roadmap reflects our next steps for the next 6 months but is not the entire journey. Disclosure: I work on Chakra

shawn-butler 11y ago
>> An implementation of ChakraCore interpreter and runtime, no JIT, on Linux. You should update the wiki if you work on the project then. The stated roadmap goal seems fairly clear and aligns with a typical Microsoft strategy to ensure Windows remains the premium platform for its "open source" efforts. Not being negative that is just the way it has gone in the past so you are fighting an uphill battle. Disclosure: None
- bterlson 11y ago
  Thanks for your thoughts :) We've updated the roadmap[1] to call out that JIT and more platforms are coming in future iterations. 1: https://github.com/Microsoft/ChakraCore/wiki/Roadmap https://github.com/Microsoft/ChakraCore/wiki/Roadmap
- jeswin 11y ago
  Even the updated Roadmap suggests that Windows remains the primary platform. This Windows-first backend is a bad idea for Node.js, unless the team (and MS) commits to supporting Linux and Mac on par with Windows. That includes not releasing unless they have performance/feature parity on all major OSes, and committing equal resources to all. While MS is nowhere as powerful as it was in the 90s, this is exactly how MS-Java happened and why Sun went to court.
  - Sanddancer 11y ago
    Almost all software has a primary platform. There are a lot of free software apps where windows is either not a priority, or where the devs refuse to implement patches that improve how it works under windows. Additionally, this is just one engine that node supports, in addition to v8, and I assume that with this, other engines can, or could be added in the future. Node's goal is to be a javascript server platform, and that means having hooks both upward and downward to make developers' jobs easier.
    - jeswin 11y ago

emilsedgh 11y ago

And how do they expect to be taken seriously if they are not going truly cross platform?

joegaudet 11y ago

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the big win here having Node.js run on Vuze ?