3 ms·

The console of today's youth is in the browsers. Any kid can open the developer's console and start typing JavaScript, the results are displayed immediately on

The console of today's youth is in the browsers. Any kid can open the developer's console and start typing JavaScript, the results are displayed immediately on the screen. Considering that JavaScript has it's roots in Scheme, it is a good language for kids to experiment on. For learning lower level constructs maybe Webassembly will help the future generations. The interested kids can also purchase raspberry pi s and dive into a world of low-level programming.

crististm 9y ago
Saying that JS has roots in Scheme is like saying English has roots in Chinese.
- tonyedgecombe 9y ago
  From http://speakingjs.com/es5/ch04.html http://speakingjs.com/es5/ch04.html "In 1995, Netscape hired Brendan Eich with the promise of letting him implement Scheme (a Lisp dialect) in the browser."
  - bjoli 9y ago
    And he has stated several times that he was disappointed that it wasn't scheme he was going to implement. JS is good at being JS, but it has never been close to being scheme.
- usrusr 9y ago
  Would be, if English had been designed by people fluent in Mandarin. If you know Scheme and imagine a curly C-style alternative syntax for it, you basically end up with early Javascript.
  - fasquoika 9y ago
    > If you know Scheme and imagine a curly C-style alternative syntax for it, you basically end up with early Javascript. Except without guaranteed TCO, macros, homoiconicity, continuations...you know, the things that make Scheme unique
DanBC 9y ago
Javascript is a terrible language for children to start with.
- tonyedgecombe 9y ago
  Javascript is a terrible language.
  - fb03 9y ago
    Javascript.
- dingaling 9y ago
  On the contrary I think it's ideal. It can adopt any paradigm you like to learn; imperative, OO, functional... Just open the console and start typing. Results are immediate. No need for linking libraries or setting-up a virtualenv or whatever.

crististm 9y ago

Saying that JS has roots in Scheme is like saying English has roots in Chinese.

tonyedgecombe 9y ago
From http://speakingjs.com/es5/ch04.html http://speakingjs.com/es5/ch04.html "In 1995, Netscape hired Brendan Eich with the promise of letting him implement Scheme (a Lisp dialect) in the browser."
- bjoli 9y ago
  And he has stated several times that he was disappointed that it wasn't scheme he was going to implement. JS is good at being JS, but it has never been close to being scheme.
usrusr 9y ago
Would be, if English had been designed by people fluent in Mandarin. If you know Scheme and imagine a curly C-style alternative syntax for it, you basically end up with early Javascript.
- fasquoika 9y ago
  > If you know Scheme and imagine a curly C-style alternative syntax for it, you basically end up with early Javascript. Except without guaranteed TCO, macros, homoiconicity, continuations...you know, the things that make Scheme unique

DanBC 9y ago

Javascript is a terrible language for children to start with.

tonyedgecombe 9y ago
Javascript is a terrible language.
- fb03 9y ago
  Javascript.
dingaling 9y ago
On the contrary I think it's ideal. It can adopt any paradigm you like to learn; imperative, OO, functional... Just open the console and start typing. Results are immediate. No need for linking libraries or setting-up a virtualenv or whatever.