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I'm a javascript fan. I think it's a good language and for the most part I enjoy programming in it. However I am not going to argue that the median javascript

I'm a javascript fan. I think it's a good language and for the most part I enjoy programming in it. However I am not going to argue that the median javascript user is as smart as the median ocaml user. 99% of people learn javascript because they have to. Most people learn ocaml because they are enthusiasts. They're interested in programming language concepts and becoming more effective.

tasuki 5y ago
Why do you think JavaScript is a good language?
- Matthias1 5y ago
  I'm a big fan of Javascript. It runs everywhere, is easy to write, is brutally flexible. I would never call it a "good" language. It is an abomination created by the dev teams at 4 different browser companies over the course of 20 years with no coordination between them.
  - runevault 5y ago
    And the original version was banged out in a very short time period to create a feature. Then everyone else just piled onto it w/o consideration for the consequences.
- Scarbutt 5y ago
  There is a useful and practical small diamond hidden in the big ball of mud.
  - dunefox 5y ago
    Yeah, it's called Lisp.
    - dunefox 5y ago
      For those who are downvoting me: Javascript was deliberately invented to be Scheme without the Lisp syntax... Jesus.
      - LAC-Tech 5y ago
        Javascript would be amazing with s-expressions and hygienic macros. One of the biggest missed opportunities in our field.
      - goatlover 5y ago
        Via the Self programming language. That’s where prototypes come from. Self messages were closures, so JS functions are first class. Smalltalk was considered to be in the spirit of Lisp, and Self replaced classes with prototypes. That or Brendan Eich was mixing several features from expressive languages.
- SavantIdiot 5y ago
  It is wildly flexible, aligned with how programming is taught, and infinitely documented. It is the swiss army knife of programming. Even top-tier hackers use it as a primary tool. Check out Frida[1], it uses the Chrome v8 engine to inject parasitic tracing code written in JavaScript into any OS (incl. android & ios). There's no language that would have fit the bill like JS+v8. [1] https://frida.re/ https://frida.re/
  - goatlover 5y ago
    Isn’t V8 written in C++? There’s no reason Python can’t be as much a Swiss Army knife, except that it doesn’t run in the browser, which was just a historical matter that it was JS and not some other language. Tcl was proposed, and Sun tried to get Netscape to run Java natively.
    - SavantIdiot 5y ago
      Thank god it wasn't TCL.
- Mikeb85 5y ago
  JavaScript is basically a lispy core with Java or C esque syntax and a bunch of features from all other programming languages incorporated over 20 years. It's fast, flexible and easy to learn. Just look at all the things that have been built in JavaScript...
- LAC-Tech 5y ago
  - Relatively expressive - Relatively fast - Enormous ecosystem - the "good parts" of which still have practically everything you need - Top notch typechecker in the form of typescript

tasuki 5y ago

Why do you think JavaScript is a good language?

Matthias1 5y ago
I'm a big fan of Javascript. It runs everywhere, is easy to write, is brutally flexible. I would never call it a "good" language. It is an abomination created by the dev teams at 4 different browser companies over the course of 20 years with no coordination between them.
- runevault 5y ago
  And the original version was banged out in a very short time period to create a feature. Then everyone else just piled onto it w/o consideration for the consequences.
Scarbutt 5y ago
There is a useful and practical small diamond hidden in the big ball of mud.
- dunefox 5y ago
  Yeah, it's called Lisp.
  - dunefox 5y ago
    For those who are downvoting me: Javascript was deliberately invented to be Scheme without the Lisp syntax... Jesus.
    - LAC-Tech 5y ago
      Javascript would be amazing with s-expressions and hygienic macros. One of the biggest missed opportunities in our field.
    - goatlover 5y ago
      Via the Self programming language. That’s where prototypes come from. Self messages were closures, so JS functions are first class. Smalltalk was considered to be in the spirit of Lisp, and Self replaced classes with prototypes. That or Brendan Eich was mixing several features from expressive languages.
SavantIdiot 5y ago
It is wildly flexible, aligned with how programming is taught, and infinitely documented. It is the swiss army knife of programming. Even top-tier hackers use it as a primary tool. Check out Frida[1], it uses the Chrome v8 engine to inject parasitic tracing code written in JavaScript into any OS (incl. android & ios). There's no language that would have fit the bill like JS+v8. [1] https://frida.re/ https://frida.re/
- goatlover 5y ago
  Isn’t V8 written in C++? There’s no reason Python can’t be as much a Swiss Army knife, except that it doesn’t run in the browser, which was just a historical matter that it was JS and not some other language. Tcl was proposed, and Sun tried to get Netscape to run Java natively.
  - SavantIdiot 5y ago
    Thank god it wasn't TCL.
Mikeb85 5y ago
JavaScript is basically a lispy core with Java or C esque syntax and a bunch of features from all other programming languages incorporated over 20 years. It's fast, flexible and easy to learn. Just look at all the things that have been built in JavaScript...
LAC-Tech 5y ago
- Relatively expressive - Relatively fast - Enormous ecosystem - the "good parts" of which still have practically everything you need - Top notch typechecker in the form of typescript