4 ms·

JavaScript has become the PHP of ten years ago. Runs everywhere (client and server), is the language picked up by beginners, and is abused to fit every square

JavaScript has become the PHP of ten years ago. Runs everywhere (client and server), is the language picked up by beginners, and is abused to fit every square peg into a round hole.

stcredzero 10y ago
Does it culminate with a cryptocash exchange written in it?
- grep4master 10y ago
  This made my whole day. Time for bed.
cookiecaper 10y ago
Can't wait for the general sentiment to turn to match. Whereas PHP has been sneered at by non-PHP devs since time immemorial, JavaScript is seeing widespread uptake by supposedly "senior" people across the spectrum. I've asked several of these people to explain the attraction (one of whom had a fascination with the even-worse CoffeeScript) and thus far I have not really come across a satisfactory explanation. To me, JavaScript is still the language you only use when you have to because it's the only runtime the browser vendors will embed.
- stcredzero 10y ago
  I've asked several of these people to explain the attraction http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/02/10/where-money-is/ http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/02/10/where-money-is/ Javascript is a "workable" or "decent" language, and it happens to run where the users are. This is also a large part of why C++ was a success and C before it.
  - cookiecaper 10y ago
    This works when you're executing code "where the users are", as I conceded in the parent post (it's the language you use when you have to). It doesn't explain why they'd willingly switch away from another server-side language to re-implement the whole thing in server-side JavaScript.
    - stcredzero 10y ago
      Because it's the same code as the client, which is "where the users are." I guess you'd assert that having the same language on the client and server doesn't justify the cost of using the language.
      - cookiecaper 10y ago
        Correct. This argument, IMO, is mainly made by programmers who are afraid of working in more than one language at once, traditionally .NET developers who are used to an entire, ready-made, tied-up-in-a-bow ecosystem being dropped on their doorstep. I have a lot of trouble sympathizing with that perspective (even though I've had multiple jobs as a full-time .NET developer). JavaScript is not good. We should be working to get it out of the way, not converting everything in our environments to run on it.
    - debaserab2 10y ago
      I can't really defend their language choice perse, but if you look at the aims of the project - make a terminal that's consistent across platforms and focuses on extendability and interface, what IS your best option? Writing natively for each platform doesn't seem feasible. Using something browser based that has many of those cross platform kinks ironed out doesn't seem like that bad of a choice if that's your top priority. Whether or not that makes it a solid, durable terminal program is another question, though.
      - jsjohnst 10y ago
        There's numerous cross-platform alternatives to using JavaScript. Not saying they are inherently better, but there are a hundred different ways to accomplish this.
        debaserab2 10y ago
        OK, sure, but not exactly what I was pointing out. If your goal is to provide a consistent look and user experience across platforms and be easily extendable, what do you choose? Feel free to name one.
  - flukus 10y ago
    This is a desktop app, "where the users are" isn't a compelling argument because it could be in practically any language and have the same barrier to entry.

JavaScript has become the PHP of ten years ago. Runs everywhere (client and server), is the language picked up by beginners, and is abused to fit every square peg into a round hole.

stcredzero 10y ago

Does it culminate with a cryptocash exchange written in it?

grep4master 10y ago
This made my whole day. Time for bed.

cookiecaper 10y ago

Can't wait for the general sentiment to turn to match. Whereas PHP has been sneered at by non-PHP devs since time immemorial, JavaScript is seeing widespread uptake by supposedly "senior" people across the spectrum. I've asked several of these people to explain the attraction (one of whom had a fascination with the even-worse CoffeeScript) and thus far I have not really come across a satisfactory explanation. To me, JavaScript is still the language you only use when you have to because it's the only runtime the browser vendors will embed.

stcredzero 10y ago
I've asked several of these people to explain the attraction http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/02/10/where-money-is/ http://quoteinvestigator.com/2013/02/10/where-money-is/ Javascript is a "workable" or "decent" language, and it happens to run where the users are. This is also a large part of why C++ was a success and C before it.
- cookiecaper 10y ago
  This works when you're executing code "where the users are", as I conceded in the parent post (it's the language you use when you have to). It doesn't explain why they'd willingly switch away from another server-side language to re-implement the whole thing in server-side JavaScript.
  - stcredzero 10y ago
    Because it's the same code as the client, which is "where the users are." I guess you'd assert that having the same language on the client and server doesn't justify the cost of using the language.
    - cookiecaper 10y ago
      Correct. This argument, IMO, is mainly made by programmers who are afraid of working in more than one language at once, traditionally .NET developers who are used to an entire, ready-made, tied-up-in-a-bow ecosystem being dropped on their doorstep. I have a lot of trouble sympathizing with that perspective (even though I've had multiple jobs as a full-time .NET developer). JavaScript is not good. We should be working to get it out of the way, not converting everything in our environments to run on it.
  - debaserab2 10y ago
    I can't really defend their language choice perse, but if you look at the aims of the project - make a terminal that's consistent across platforms and focuses on extendability and interface, what IS your best option? Writing natively for each platform doesn't seem feasible. Using something browser based that has many of those cross platform kinks ironed out doesn't seem like that bad of a choice if that's your top priority. Whether or not that makes it a solid, durable terminal program is another question, though.
    - jsjohnst 10y ago
      There's numerous cross-platform alternatives to using JavaScript. Not saying they are inherently better, but there are a hundred different ways to accomplish this.
      - debaserab2 10y ago
        OK, sure, but not exactly what I was pointing out. If your goal is to provide a consistent look and user experience across platforms and be easily extendable, what do you choose? Feel free to name one.
- flukus 10y ago
  This is a desktop app, "where the users are" isn't a compelling argument because it could be in practically any language and have the same barrier to entry.