3 ms·

like what? php? visual basic? c? java? define "clean" and name one language in the history of computing that actually fits that definition.

Dylan16807 13y ago
Lua.
- TheZenPsycho 13y ago
  As much as I like lua, it doesn't really meet the challenge I set forth. For one, you forgot to define "clean". For another, if you put lua in the browser instead of javascript, how long do you think it will be before lua starts growing horrible warts as well?
rdtsc 13y ago
Python, Ruby, Dart just to name a few from the top of my head. EDIT: removed Java, Rust and Go
- TheZenPsycho 13y ago
  You forgot to define "clean". Also, java is in your list. Java had its chance. it failed. did you forget that? So has Dart. how's dart doing? Rust as a web scripting language doesn't even make sense.
  - rdtsc 13y ago
    Ok good point, removed Java, Rust and Go. > So has Dart. how's dart doing? Very well. It has a sane type system. Its VM is about twice as fast as V8, has a nice IDE that comes with it.
  - spankalee 13y ago
    Dart's doing great, you should use it.
PeterisP 13y ago
I'll define "clean" as a language that has been intentionally designed with a goal to make language features interact in intuitive ways - i.e., that if something looks like X, then it also acts like X; and also behave safely, i.e., undefined behavior is minimized or eliminated if possible. 'Evolved' languages tend to be less clean than 'designed' ones, and also any language accumulates cruft with time if features are added carelessly - for example, C++ can never be 'clean' even if C++11 tries to be that way, because compatibility. Python, go, Haskell are much cleaner than JS. I'm not claiming that those languages are perfect, they definitely aren't, but there is a significant difference - just as in the saying that [earth is flat] is wrong, [earth is a sphere] is wrong, but they're nowhere near equally wrong.

Dylan16807 13y ago

Lua.

TheZenPsycho 13y ago
As much as I like lua, it doesn't really meet the challenge I set forth. For one, you forgot to define "clean". For another, if you put lua in the browser instead of javascript, how long do you think it will be before lua starts growing horrible warts as well?

rdtsc 13y ago

Python, Ruby, Dart just to name a few from the top of my head. EDIT: removed Java, Rust and Go

TheZenPsycho 13y ago
You forgot to define "clean". Also, java is in your list. Java had its chance. it failed. did you forget that? So has Dart. how's dart doing? Rust as a web scripting language doesn't even make sense.
- rdtsc 13y ago
  Ok good point, removed Java, Rust and Go. > So has Dart. how's dart doing? Very well. It has a sane type system. Its VM is about twice as fast as V8, has a nice IDE that comes with it.
- spankalee 13y ago
  Dart's doing great, you should use it.

PeterisP 13y ago

I'll define "clean" as a language that has been intentionally designed with a goal to make language features interact in intuitive ways - i.e., that if something looks like X, then it also acts like X; and also behave safely, i.e., undefined behavior is minimized or eliminated if possible. 'Evolved' languages tend to be less clean than 'designed' ones, and also any language accumulates cruft with time if features are added carelessly - for example, C++ can never be 'clean' even if C++11 tries to be that way, because compatibility. Python, go, Haskell are much cleaner than JS. I'm not claiming that those languages are perfect, they definitely aren't, but there is a significant difference - just as in the saying that [earth is flat] is wrong, [earth is a sphere] is wrong, but they're nowhere near equally wrong.