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We have to rewrite everything in JS because JS is the language that runs on browsers. :) If you were asking a higher-level why (why do we have to use the browse

We have to rewrite everything in JS because JS is the language that runs on browsers. :) If you were asking a higher-level why (why do we have to use the browser), look rer's sibling comment. I wrote the phrase "wise old timers" with respect-- y'all truly have things to teach us. But it often feels that y'all just want to complain about how we're doing things wrong, rather than actually helping. I suspect that "old timers" is correct maybe 80% of the time, since the complainers are probably people who have years of non-JS experience and are disappointed that the new bootcampers haven't gone through their coming-of-age programming rituals. But I have a friend who is a member of the C++ master-race, so trust me, I know that gripes about browsers & JS can come from many kinds of people.

coldtea 10y ago
>We have to rewrite everything in JS because JS is the language that runs on browsers. Not much of an argument. We already have 24/7 internet connected laptops, tablets and smartphones, which is were those browsers run in the first place anyway. Perhaps we could, and I'm going on a limp here, just cut the middleman and run on the metal? If the problem is discoverability/installation/security etc we could focus on app stores and sandboxes (which modern OSes also have both), instead of rewriting everything on the web. >* But it often feels that y'all just want to complain about how we're doing things wrong, rather than actually helping.* Well, you first stop someone from drowning and then you show them how to swim...
- Silhouette 10y ago
  If the problem is discoverability/installation/security etc we could focus on app stores and sandboxes To this day, I maintain that if Microsoft hadn't neglected that essential aspect of the Windows ecosystem for decades, they would probably still dominate the personal computing industry.
  - webmaven 10y ago
    Uh... Oh, you mean 'personal computing' in it's original sense, which encompasses mobile platforms as well, not just desktop computers.
    - Silhouette 10y ago
      Right. IMHO, a lot of the reason that alternative devices, from smartphones to games consoles, took off was they solved the biggest long-standing headache for Windows users: they just wanted to get and use software to do things, not to worry about installing and configuring and updating that software or potential difficulties with removing it or how it interacted with other software.
- webmaven 10y ago
  > we could focus on app stores and sandboxes (which modern OSes also have both), instead of rewriting everything on the web. Show me another way to write end-user applications that are cross platform, and then (if it existed prior to 1995, or even 2005) explain to me why your particular alternative didn't take over the world. Heck, even standalone desktop and mobile apps are now being built with web technologies (react-native, Electron, etc.) rather than GUI frameworks like wxWidgets.

coldtea 10y ago

>We have to rewrite everything in JS because JS is the language that runs on browsers. Not much of an argument. We already have 24/7 internet connected laptops, tablets and smartphones, which is were those browsers run in the first place anyway. Perhaps we could, and I'm going on a limp here, just cut the middleman and run on the metal? If the problem is discoverability/installation/security etc we could focus on app stores and sandboxes (which modern OSes also have both), instead of rewriting everything on the web. >* But it often feels that y'all just want to complain about how we're doing things wrong, rather than actually helping.* Well, you first stop someone from drowning and then you show them how to swim...

Silhouette 10y ago
If the problem is discoverability/installation/security etc we could focus on app stores and sandboxes To this day, I maintain that if Microsoft hadn't neglected that essential aspect of the Windows ecosystem for decades, they would probably still dominate the personal computing industry.
- webmaven 10y ago
  Uh... Oh, you mean 'personal computing' in it's original sense, which encompasses mobile platforms as well, not just desktop computers.
  - Silhouette 10y ago
    Right. IMHO, a lot of the reason that alternative devices, from smartphones to games consoles, took off was they solved the biggest long-standing headache for Windows users: they just wanted to get and use software to do things, not to worry about installing and configuring and updating that software or potential difficulties with removing it or how it interacted with other software.
webmaven 10y ago
> we could focus on app stores and sandboxes (which modern OSes also have both), instead of rewriting everything on the web. Show me another way to write end-user applications that are cross platform, and then (if it existed prior to 1995, or even 2005) explain to me why your particular alternative didn't take over the world. Heck, even standalone desktop and mobile apps are now being built with web technologies (react-native, Electron, etc.) rather than GUI frameworks like wxWidgets.