4 ms·
"That's not because of the language itself. I don't know the JavaScript language, I've heard people say it's rather clumsy and not well designed, but I don't kn
by ergonaught 4y ago
"That's not because of the language itself. I don't know the JavaScript language, I've heard people say it's rather clumsy and not well designed, but I don't know this. In any case, it's not what my views are based on."
He's pretty clear in the, what, 2 minutes tops?, that he spends on the topic.
The complaints here mostly seem to be "I don't like RMS so I'm going to overstate some complaints about what I've decided he said instead of what he actually said."
It's wild.
- om2 4y agoHis complaint about JavaScript doesn’t really make sense on several levels. (1) Things websites do that he doesn’t like aren’t all done by JavaScript. Some of the most insidious tracking on the web is done with script-free methods like tracking pixels, link decoration parameters, redirect bounces, etc. (2) his comments about the horror of downloading and running programs betray a lack of understanding of the security model of the web. (2) His logic amounts to: “a language is used in a programming environment where some bad things sometimes happen. Therefore don’t use the language for anything else.” This is childish purity based non-logic. Should we also avoid HTTP? CSS? I hear a lot of browsers are implemented in combos of C, C++, and Rust. Should we avoid all those too?
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- paulryanrogers 4y agoHis primary concern is user control. JS typically puts others in control by nature of its distribution and widespread use. Opting out or taming it is becoming increasingly impractical. I don't think RMS is much of a fan of non-JS tracking either.