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How about how condescending of a programmer not knowing JS causes you to be :-) Either way, if the number of idiosyncracies in your language is confusing to ju

by ng12 7y ago

How about how condescending of a programmer not knowing JS causes you to be :-) Either way, if the number of idiosyncracies in your language is confusing to junior developers it's absolutely something worth considering.

throwaway1777 7y ago
JavaScript is full of idiosyncrasies.
- smitty1e 7y ago
  What drives me nuts about doing JS is that the browser execution model seems vague. In python, I can have the if __name__=='__main__': main() at the end if a script, and easily import the script's functions into - pytest for testing - some other module for larger modules - into a cli.py file to slap a Click interface on it. What a great blend of flexibility while retaining coherence.
echelon 7y ago
Complaining about things you don't understand is pretty bad practice. The parent poster was pointing that out. Sure, the Javascript dig is unnecessary, but the language currently holds a position as the spot of first language many junior engineers employ.
marcinzm 7y ago
>Either way, if the number of idiosyncracies in your language is confusing to junior developers it's absolutely something worth considering. Why? Aiming for the lowest common denominators and the simplest systems tends to not create scalable long term solutions. You also seem to really undercount what a properly trained junior developer is capable of understanding.
- ng12 7y ago
  Most popular programming languages got popular by aiming for the LCD in some capacity, e.g. Java. It's the reason why we're not all writing LISP or Haskell.
  - marcinzm 7y ago
    I don't think Python has any issues with popularity.
  - agentultra 7y ago
    I don't think that's the main reason why and is probably a small factor at best. Java rode a couple of different trends at the same time: it provided a somewhat smooth upgrade path from C++, cross-platform compatibility, and an astronomical marketing budget. Many languages in the top-10 that we believe are popular or mainstream got there by having one of platform lock-in, smooth upgrade from a prior language, or a killer, exclusive app. It's a lot less about what is good or objectively better and more about being in the right place at the right time. I've heard some claim that Python got there by being slow and steady. At one point I think I would have agreed but it does have a killer app and that's in the analysis, scientific and machine learning communities.

by ng12 7y ago

throwaway1777 7y ago

JavaScript is full of idiosyncrasies.

smitty1e 7y ago
What drives me nuts about doing JS is that the browser execution model seems vague. In python, I can have the if __name__=='__main__': main() at the end if a script, and easily import the script's functions into - pytest for testing - some other module for larger modules - into a cli.py file to slap a Click interface on it. What a great blend of flexibility while retaining coherence.

echelon 7y ago

Complaining about things you don't understand is pretty bad practice. The parent poster was pointing that out. Sure, the Javascript dig is unnecessary, but the language currently holds a position as the spot of first language many junior engineers employ.

marcinzm 7y ago

>Either way, if the number of idiosyncracies in your language is confusing to junior developers it's absolutely something worth considering. Why? Aiming for the lowest common denominators and the simplest systems tends to not create scalable long term solutions. You also seem to really undercount what a properly trained junior developer is capable of understanding.

ng12 7y ago
Most popular programming languages got popular by aiming for the LCD in some capacity, e.g. Java. It's the reason why we're not all writing LISP or Haskell.
- marcinzm 7y ago
  I don't think Python has any issues with popularity.
- agentultra 7y ago
  I don't think that's the main reason why and is probably a small factor at best. Java rode a couple of different trends at the same time: it provided a somewhat smooth upgrade path from C++, cross-platform compatibility, and an astronomical marketing budget. Many languages in the top-10 that we believe are popular or mainstream got there by having one of platform lock-in, smooth upgrade from a prior language, or a killer, exclusive app. It's a lot less about what is good or objectively better and more about being in the right place at the right time. I've heard some claim that Python got there by being slow and steady. At one point I think I would have agreed but it does have a killer app and that's in the analysis, scientific and machine learning communities.