5 ms·
The proof is in the name: HyperTEXT MARKUP Language HTML is for documents. Some sort of sick, twisted ideology has proclaimed it the all-useful programming la
by kunai 14y ago
The proof is in the name:
HyperTEXT MARKUP Language
HTML is for documents. Some sort of sick, twisted ideology has proclaimed it the all-useful programming language, but I repeat -- HTML is not an all-purpose programming language, the proof is in the name.
I want to deal with arrays, strings, pointers, and variables. I want to get down there with the hardware and control it myself. I want to optimize memory myself.
I want to do the dirty work because I want control over the computer I'm programming for.
Trying to replace C/C++/ObjC/Java/Python with HTML is like trying to replace LaTeX with plain text formatting. It's just way too limited for ~90% of the uses of programmers.
Don't get me wrong, HTML is awesome for documents and has come a long way, but it is no application development platform.
Not when you have <h1> and <body> tags scattered throughout instead of
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
int main()
{
using namespace std;
cout << "Do you honestly think HTML5 is a replacement for C++?\n";
String x;
cin >> x;
cin.ignore();
if ( x = "Yes" )
{
cout << "You probably work for Google. Get out of here!\n";
}
else if ( x = "No" )
{
cout << "It's nice to see that we're on the same page here; HTML is a document editing language first and a programming language 50032th.\n";
}
return 0;
}
- nkerkin 14y agoI can't tell if this is a troll or not, but I'll bite. HTML is not a programming language full-stop. I've heard javascript is pretty decent though
- Turing_Machine 14y agoThe example doesn't compile, either. :-)
- kunai 14y agoIt's not my fault, editing code on the HN submit box is hell. ;)
- WayneDB 14y agoFTA: "Throughout this article I reference HTML5, but I’m actually talking about most of the suite of relevant standards..." I think a lot of people conversationally use the term HTML to mean the same thing.
- nkerkin 14y agoYeah, I agree with you on that. The comment I replied to, not so much...
- WayneDB 14y agoI guess I'm still wondering what specifically you disagree with. You didn't say anything about that; just the wording. I don't think the GP's argument was well stated, but the general sentiment seems clear enough. Anyway, I'm interested to know what your experience is. What kind of apps do you make and how has HTML (the royal, general HTML) worked out vs native kits?
- nkerkin 14y agoI'm sorry, I meant that the comment I replied to didn't seem to imply that HTML meant "suite of relevant standards". HTML/JS/CSS as an application development platform is improving and covers most development needs, social, LOB, SaaS, etc. HTML turns out to be a pretty decent view rendering engine. It's still a bit rough around the edges and won't replace native code in all situations, though, it is a much easier way of targeting and deploying to users across a multitude of platforms. Edit: As for experience, I spent 5 years on native apps, deployed to strictly controlled government Windows environments. Nightmare. Rebuilt same apps in a quarter of the time in HTML/JS/CSS, with far fewer issues. Work on various other Web apps now, couldn't be happier especially with all the tools/libraries/services springing up.
- WayneDB 14y agoIt's so funny how people can have similar experience and opposite results. I don't doubt that you build them quickly, but there are a lot of variables to take into account I think. I actually deploy desktop apps to a lightly controlled HIPAA environment that is mostly Windows. We use ClickOnce to get as close to zero-deployment as possible. We also do web applications private and public (for our clients). Personally - I'm not sure how I could build HTML apps faster and still retain the same quality. I'm betting that your HTML apps, like ours, aren't as "rich" as the desktop counterparts. Another variable is that rewriting any product as a minimum-viable-product often goes quicker. Not saying that's how it went out for you, but it's worth mentioning.