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Ask HN: Is JavaScript the first truly universal language?
Write once, run anywhere has been a dream since as long as I remember, and I have been developing since 1997. Java was probably the closest we came (before the rise of JavaScript), but there was several other attempts.
JavaScript runs on practically every architecture, on client and server, and is even poised to become a major language for embedded systems and hence IoT. It's popularity shows no sign of slowing down. Like CSS or IMAP, it may not be a particularly good technology (though it is being improved with transpilers and the like), but it has become a de-facto standard that will be very hard to replace.
The tech world is always churning through standards. Has fortuitous circumstances combined to make JavaScript the universal language that has been desired for so long?
- coreyp_1 10y agoIMO: no. First of all, I love JavaScript, and I think it could be used for far more than it currently is. Having said that, it is not good for every problem, due to limitations of the language itself. It is not multi-threaded. It is not good for CPU-intensive operations (transcoding video, encryption tasks, etc.) It does not allow direct access to memory. I still love it, and it is closer to being a universal language than most people think, but I also believe that the designed limitations are still an issue.
- mhd 10y agoThere are more of them computer thingies floating around, but other than sheer scope, it's not much different than BASIC. And just like this, you'll end up with plenty of cousin languages that just share some basic genes. Personally, I wouldn't call that programming Appalachia a "dream" or "fortuitous". Even with ES6, I just don't get the appeal. I'd much rather use three to eleven languages, if each of them fit the task better. (and regarding prior art in "universal" languages, I'd have preferred if PostScript made it bigger)
- dman 10y agoAre you forgetting C?