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Why is choosing the least powerful language for a given purpose a core principle of web development? If a language has flexible abstractions, it can make hard t
by nfw2 3y ago
Why is choosing the least powerful language for a given purpose a core principle of web development? If a language has flexible abstractions, it can make hard tasks possible, and ALSO make simpler tasks easier. Whereas a language with clunky mechanics makes simple tasks complicated and hard tasks virtually impossible.
- yakshaving_jgt 3y agoFor the same reasons that using fewer moving parts is a principle in engineering more broadly.
- tgv 3y agoFriction and wear?
- couchand 3y agoKISS.
- nfw2 3y agoA language feature isn't a moving part. I would say that what makes a language "powerful" is the capacity to express complex concepts simply. CSS and HTML are not a languages built for expressing complex concepts at all
- yakshaving_jgt 3y agoI think you’re familiar with metaphors and that this is a display of obstinacy.
- nfw2 3y ago"Moving parts" is a metaphor for pieces of a system that add operational complexity, and it's not a useful metaphor in this case because a language just having some feature doesn't add any operational complexity
- yakshaving_jgt 3y agoWell, I have to disagree, and I'm not alone on that. This is the entire premise of Douglas Crockford's book, JavaScript: The Good Parts.