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> pointing this out should be equally acceptable as pointing out issues with PHP Not the best example, considering that PHP has done its time as whipping boy.
by ergothus 7y ago
> pointing this out should be equally acceptable as pointing out issues with PHP
Not the best example, considering that PHP has done its time as whipping boy. I've never been a PHP dev and I did my share of trash-talk against PHP instead of learning about the aspects that I could learn from.
My problem isn't that it's "unacceptable" to point out issues - it's that people aren't doing so CONSTRUCTIVELY. Instead, it's about finding the lesser social class to dump on freely.
For example - I have serious concerns/doubts about typescript and how it props up a tool-enhanced crutch for programming-as-communication that ultimately leads to lower-quality code. You would likely disagree and would raise your concerns about JS without TS. We can have a lovely conversation comparing points and, while it's probable neither of us is convinced by the other, we both walk away with a better understanding of the perspectives of others and impacts of code choices.
OR we could imply that JS isn't a "proper" programming language, and thereby JS devs aren't "proper" programmers and we can pat them on the head and tell them to run along and play.
Back when I was doing a lot of Perl dev (before my Java days) I noticed that the weaker Perl devs would hate-on Python (and the reverse), while the stronger Perl/Python devs would hang out with the stronger Python/Perl and compare notes. It took me a while to figure out why that made sense. The two communities had a lot of explicitly different philosophies, yet were really able to learn from one another and occasionally both languages improved as a result.
If JS isn't someone's preferred approach, that's fine...but that doesn't mean they are "lesser". They're _different_, just like different problem domains are _different_. That doesn't make them immune from criticism either, but I'm far more interested in those looking to broaden their views rather than broaden the reach of their current viewpoint.
- eitland 7y agoThanks for being so calm. In hindsight I regret my comment. Reading your comment now and rereading your comment I realize you were defending Javascript programmers, not the language. (I guess we'll have to disagree about JavaScript the language :-) I agree we shouldn't attack programmers because of language choice. And I am happy that I pointed out that I am amazed by the JS community as it hopefully shows that I wasn't trying to attack anyone.
- ergothus 7y agoThanks for clarifying - I hope I didn't come across too defensive. It's definitely become a sensitive spot when so many are dismissive, so I might lash out at those undeserving of it. As for the language - JS definitely has its warts and its holes. It's not a language I love, but it IS a language I greatly enjoy developing for. Then again, I thought Perl was a great language (albeit with its own warts) so my views are fairly unconventional. Definitely though, I tend to think that languages fall into a more complex graph than just "better" and "worse", or even "better at X" and "worse at X".