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I think the article is trying to point out that for simpler problems you no longer have to immediately reach for something as robust as Erlang, Node.js might do

I think the article is trying to point out that for simpler problems you no longer have to immediately reach for something as robust as Erlang, Node.js might do. In my mind this is a good thing because more people will realize some problems are too painful to solve in Node.js and they will take a hard look at Erlang. Or they'll get sick of the convoluted syntax hoop-jumping and they'll take a hard look at a Lisp. I find JavaScript beautiful in a sense because in a very roundabout way it's pulling people towards more advanced PLs. Pushing a simple solution to its limits is how people evolve to the next thing.

KirinDave 17y ago
I think it's sad that people are so afraid of trying new languages and investing a bit of their time diversifying that Node.js looks like a viable alternative to Erlang, ever. It's the ultimate example of the “When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail” phenomenon.
- davidw 17y ago
  From where I'm sitting, node.js looks like a great solution for fast, simple, and small web systems, whereas the comparable Erlang systems are more of a pain in the ass to get set up and use. So it is certainly a viable alternative. Is it the best alternative? Erlang, as the article states, has some good things going for it; it's better than anything else that I know of for several categories of tasks. The problem is that other things are catching up, and while they may not be "as good", people can and will pick them if they are "good enough" and have other qualities that make them a good choice, such as being easier to learn. Your comment to me comes across along the same lines of the people thinking digital photography would never surpass the quality of regular film. Maybe node.js won't be the one to catch up and pass Erlang, but my gut feeling is that something will. Scala, maybe?
  - KirinDave 17y ago
    > Your comment to me comes across along the same lines of the people thinking digital photography would never surpass the quality of regular film. Maybe node.js won't be the one to catch up and pass Erlang, but my gut feeling is that something will. Scala, maybe? At least Scala is in a similar category. Node.js is basically a bolt-on solution. It doesn't even actually have a comparable threading model, it just has a comfortably familiar one.
    - davidw 17y ago
      I think it's dangerous to ignore "toys", as time and time again they've proven quite capable of taking on superior solutions, and winning, because of other advantages.
      - KirinDave 16y ago
        No one says to ignore Node.js. It's just a terrible comparison and intellectually lazy javascript programmers seem to be taking advantage of it to remain intellectually lazy.
HidingInABunker 17y ago
I have to agree, speaking as a programmer just starting to get comfortable in Javascript with little to no experience in more established functional programming languages. The initial wow factor of having javascript on the server and client side quickly gave way to all the reasons to use alternative approaches. This project will be the first time many Javascript programmers will brush up against topics of scale such as these, and speaking as one, I'm definitely going to focus on Erlang to explore these problems. (but still play around with Node.js on the side ;)

KirinDave 17y ago

I think it's sad that people are so afraid of trying new languages and investing a bit of their time diversifying that Node.js looks like a viable alternative to Erlang, ever. It's the ultimate example of the “When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail” phenomenon.

davidw 17y ago
From where I'm sitting, node.js looks like a great solution for fast, simple, and small web systems, whereas the comparable Erlang systems are more of a pain in the ass to get set up and use. So it is certainly a viable alternative. Is it the best alternative? Erlang, as the article states, has some good things going for it; it's better than anything else that I know of for several categories of tasks. The problem is that other things are catching up, and while they may not be "as good", people can and will pick them if they are "good enough" and have other qualities that make them a good choice, such as being easier to learn. Your comment to me comes across along the same lines of the people thinking digital photography would never surpass the quality of regular film. Maybe node.js won't be the one to catch up and pass Erlang, but my gut feeling is that something will. Scala, maybe?
- KirinDave 17y ago
  > Your comment to me comes across along the same lines of the people thinking digital photography would never surpass the quality of regular film. Maybe node.js won't be the one to catch up and pass Erlang, but my gut feeling is that something will. Scala, maybe? At least Scala is in a similar category. Node.js is basically a bolt-on solution. It doesn't even actually have a comparable threading model, it just has a comfortably familiar one.
  - davidw 17y ago
    I think it's dangerous to ignore "toys", as time and time again they've proven quite capable of taking on superior solutions, and winning, because of other advantages.
    - KirinDave 16y ago
      No one says to ignore Node.js. It's just a terrible comparison and intellectually lazy javascript programmers seem to be taking advantage of it to remain intellectually lazy.

HidingInABunker 17y ago

I have to agree, speaking as a programmer just starting to get comfortable in Javascript with little to no experience in more established functional programming languages. The initial wow factor of having javascript on the server and client side quickly gave way to all the reasons to use alternative approaches. This project will be the first time many Javascript programmers will brush up against topics of scale such as these, and speaking as one, I'm definitely going to focus on Erlang to explore these problems. (but still play around with Node.js on the side ;)