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> The Go vs JavaScript lineup is quite stunning. Go destroys Node.js in memory usage and performance on every test except regex-redux (edge case?). Why would i

> The Go vs JavaScript lineup is quite stunning. Go destroys Node.js in memory usage and performance on every test except regex-redux (edge case?). Why would it be stunning that a programming language compiled to assembler can beat a broken-by-design interpreted language which doesn't even have integers or arrays? The stunning part is that the people behind node.js have managed to get that much performance.

alayne 9y ago
That's not a very fair or accurate description. JavaScript implementations use a JIT which is different than what people usually mean by interpreted. Types can be inferred without explicit type declarations. JavaScript has Array and integer semantics can also be inferred.
- weberc2 9y ago
  Also JS has received many times the investment of Go.
nodesocket 9y ago
Ummmm, that's a somewhat harsh and arrogant reply. I actually enjoy coding in Node.js myself. I just wasn't aware how much faster go is (according to these benchmarks of course).
- Safety1stClyde 9y ago
  I program in Go and JavaScript, but don't enjoy it. I assure you that JavaScript is an interpreted language, and it does not have arrays or integers. This is not a harsh statement but a factual one.
  - baron816 9y ago
    There's plenty to not like about JS, but being interpreted and not having integers or arrays is not high on its negatives list. The little bit of good far outweighs the whole lot of bad. If you don't enjoy JS, it's because you haven't taken the time to learn what's great about it and have gotten hung up on the stupid things other people do with it or you're copying their mistakes.
    - innocentoldguy 9y ago
      That last paragraph is a logical fallacy, because it posits that one's distaste for JavaScript could only come via ignorance. I will offer my own anecdotal experience to refute that assertion. I've been forced to use JavaScript since the 1990s, and have done significant amounts of work in Node for several companies. I dislike Node and JavaScript because JavaScript has a weak standard library, ugly syntax, is slow, is a pain to scale, and a pain to write complex code with. I will absolutely give credit to the Node community for improving JavaScript, in both speed and syntax, and admit that JavaScript is better now than it ever has been; however, so are most popular languages. Personally, I've removed JavaScript from my resume, and turn down jobs that use it. If I have to use it for some reason, I can, but right now, I typically avoid it altogether by using Elm, and real server-side languages on the backend. I can't speak for anyone else, but I know JavaScript and still don't like it.
    - Safety1stClyde 9y ago
      > There's plenty to not like about JS, but being interpreted and not having integers or arrays is not high on its negatives list. We are having a discussion is about programming language benchmarks. A benchmark in this case is a measure of how fast a computer program can run. A computer program is a series of instructions for a computer. These instructions are written in something called a programming language. A programming language which is interpreted is inherently slower than a programming language which is compiled to assembly language. A programming language which does not have integers but must represent all numbers as floating point numbers is inherently slower than a programming language which has integers. A programming language which does not have arrays, but must represent arrays using hash tables, is inherently slower than a language which does have arrays. Thus, Node.js, which is interpreted and does not have arrays or integers, would be expected to be have much lower benchmarks than Go's, and yet node.js has exceptionally high performance.
      - marcus_holmes 9y ago
        that's a very simplistic exploration of a very complex subject (edited for negativity and ad-hominem)
      - 9y ago
  - fenomas 9y ago
    The JS language as specified is interpreted and doesn't have ints or first-class arrays; the code run by the VM that runs Node.js code is compiled and runs on smallints and arrays and so on. (Not sure if you already knew this, but if so, you're not being factual, you're being selectively pedantic to make something sound worse than it is. Lack of ints or arrays isn't a big factor in JS performance for non-pathological cases.) (edit: reasons for downvotes are appreciated!)

alayne 9y ago

That's not a very fair or accurate description. JavaScript implementations use a JIT which is different than what people usually mean by interpreted. Types can be inferred without explicit type declarations. JavaScript has Array and integer semantics can also be inferred.

weberc2 9y ago
Also JS has received many times the investment of Go.

nodesocket 9y ago

Ummmm, that's a somewhat harsh and arrogant reply. I actually enjoy coding in Node.js myself. I just wasn't aware how much faster go is (according to these benchmarks of course).

Safety1stClyde 9y ago
I program in Go and JavaScript, but don't enjoy it. I assure you that JavaScript is an interpreted language, and it does not have arrays or integers. This is not a harsh statement but a factual one.
- baron816 9y ago
  There's plenty to not like about JS, but being interpreted and not having integers or arrays is not high on its negatives list. The little bit of good far outweighs the whole lot of bad. If you don't enjoy JS, it's because you haven't taken the time to learn what's great about it and have gotten hung up on the stupid things other people do with it or you're copying their mistakes.
  - innocentoldguy 9y ago
    That last paragraph is a logical fallacy, because it posits that one's distaste for JavaScript could only come via ignorance. I will offer my own anecdotal experience to refute that assertion. I've been forced to use JavaScript since the 1990s, and have done significant amounts of work in Node for several companies. I dislike Node and JavaScript because JavaScript has a weak standard library, ugly syntax, is slow, is a pain to scale, and a pain to write complex code with. I will absolutely give credit to the Node community for improving JavaScript, in both speed and syntax, and admit that JavaScript is better now than it ever has been; however, so are most popular languages. Personally, I've removed JavaScript from my resume, and turn down jobs that use it. If I have to use it for some reason, I can, but right now, I typically avoid it altogether by using Elm, and real server-side languages on the backend. I can't speak for anyone else, but I know JavaScript and still don't like it.
  - Safety1stClyde 9y ago
    > There's plenty to not like about JS, but being interpreted and not having integers or arrays is not high on its negatives list. We are having a discussion is about programming language benchmarks. A benchmark in this case is a measure of how fast a computer program can run. A computer program is a series of instructions for a computer. These instructions are written in something called a programming language. A programming language which is interpreted is inherently slower than a programming language which is compiled to assembly language. A programming language which does not have integers but must represent all numbers as floating point numbers is inherently slower than a programming language which has integers. A programming language which does not have arrays, but must represent arrays using hash tables, is inherently slower than a language which does have arrays. Thus, Node.js, which is interpreted and does not have arrays or integers, would be expected to be have much lower benchmarks than Go's, and yet node.js has exceptionally high performance.
    - marcus_holmes 9y ago
      that's a very simplistic exploration of a very complex subject (edited for negativity and ad-hominem)
    - 9y ago
- fenomas 9y ago
  The JS language as specified is interpreted and doesn't have ints or first-class arrays; the code run by the VM that runs Node.js code is compiled and runs on smallints and arrays and so on. (Not sure if you already knew this, but if so, you're not being factual, you're being selectively pedantic to make something sound worse than it is. Lack of ints or arrays isn't a big factor in JS performance for non-pathological cases.) (edit: reasons for downvotes are appreciated!)