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This should be expected. Rust isn't a new machine: It's the same old dumb machine, with some extra manoeuvres that make things "safe" (except when you say "uns
by geocar 8y ago
This should be expected.
Rust isn't a new machine: It's the same old dumb machine, with some extra manoeuvres that make things "safe" (except when you say "unsafe"). It's not even remotely interesting to anyone who isn't troubled frequently enough by those things that need more safety.
JavaScript on the other hand, is a new machine: It's the most widely distributed networked machine we have, and it's amazing for that.
- You can buy cpus anywhere in the world by putting an ad out there that runs JavaScript and pipes the results back to you.
- You can build and deliver robust software that "runs" on such a wide variety of terminals including desktop workstations, servers, "phones", televisions, wristwatches, entertainment tablets, refrigerators, space satellites, and so on.
- Anybody can learn it. It is so much more inviting and accessible than anything that came before it that people feel very few real barriers to entry.
- It's fast "enough". I work in HPC - massive teraabyte-ram workstations building applications where we need to respond with bids in microseconds, disk seeks are counted for writes, and so on, so whilst there are still some things close to my heart that JavaScript isn't fast enough for, it's fast enough for everything else. Managers love this stuff.
Seeing our favourite applications running on JavaScript paints clearer a world where we can do fantastic new things. People love seeing "X in JavaScript" because they are seeing "X for the future" and the future is cool!
Porting a version control system to rust doesn't: At best, we find additional protection from a specific class of bug. Maybe it's exciting to people who are already excited about rust, but anyone that thinks these things are even remotely the same need to get their head examined.
- Laaas 8y agoI don't get your point at all? Rust works on the web too.
- geocar 8y agoRust works on the web by converting it to JavaScript.
- yoz-y 8y agoI do not think that javascript as a language has much advantages for learning than, let's say Lua or Python. However, the fact that it is linked to HTML and DOM make it very easy to have immediate feedback without installing any tooling or IDEs. But then, modern JavaScript is quite different from what one can learn just by using the devtools. I think that once one starts to use more advanced js tooling, things get quite worse than in almost any other language.
- geocar 8y agoYou're making a mistake of putting a box around "JavaScript the Language" -- even admitting a concession of "HTML and DOM" you miss the point: Lua and Python do not have billions of devices able to download and run their applications. Python and Lua don't have that by a long shot.
- yoz-y 8y agoThat was my point. JS has a huge advantage in the ecosystem but not many as a language itself. If we compare pure Node with Python then I think python is better for learning as it has less weirdness to it. You are right though. Such comparison is only useful as a mental exercise as in the real world the browser and js are intimately tied.
- nudpiedo 8y agoNone of the things you mention are exclusive or innovated by JavaScript by any means, actually everything you say exists since computer networks exist; are you maybe mistaking internet with web? JavaScript only excels in one aspect: the size of its community which is mostly, but not exclusively, formed by poorly qualified web page prototypers.
- geocar 8y ago> None of the things you mention are exclusive or innovated by JavaScript JavaScript is distributed across billions of devices. Nothing else comes close. If you read my comment as an endorsement of JavaScript instead of an explanation why people care more about its expanding universe than someone dinking around in Rust, then you're making two mistakes.
- nudpiedo 8y agoStill do not get how you leverage these billions of devices as workers for a distributed workload; it is by all metrics suboptimal or mediocre compared with any other programming platform to distribute workloads. As customer end-point we would be speaking in a different context. Please do not label other’s different of interpretation as interpretation mistakes: I believe your opinion is factually wrong.
- geocar 8y ago> Still do not get how you leverage these billions of devices as workers for a distributed workload Happy to alleviate some of your ignorance by typing more slowly. I buy ads. I can get access to devices anywhere in the world, do network testing, and on the last mile which is cost prohibitive for any other distribution channel. > Please do not label other’s different of interpretation as interpretation mistakes Then don't be wrong.
- nudpiedo 8y agoAnd is via Ads the way you distribute workload across devices? Do not call that distributed computing. Actually I prefer to ignore your practices. > Then don’t be wrong. Whatever, the pound for you if that makes you happy.
- bo0tzz 8y ago>"runs" on such a wide variety of terminals including [...] space satellites, and so on." There are satellites running javascript?
- geocar 8y agoYes! JavaScript is also running in the space station!