Whether or not javascript is analagous to assembly language, I find 'compile to javascript' frameworks such as GWT, GWT-Ext, Vaadin and Thinwire very compelling

Whether or not javascript is analagous to assembly language, I find 'compile to javascript' frameworks such as GWT, GWT-Ext, Vaadin and Thinwire very compelling to use and allow for a consistent and cohesive presentation layer in rich web apps. Unfortunately all of these great platforms are Java based and I would really like to see the same approach adopted for other languages. Some people just don't like writing plain javascript, myself included. But then I do generally develop UIs which more or less behave like desktop applications, so the value of being able to plug in a few preset components is much more attractive, if I wanted a very customised feel to the components I used I guess it would have to be native javascript.