JavaScript (was Re: [xml-dev] Whither XML ?)

["Simon St.Laurent" <simonstl@simonstl.com>]

On 11/11/10 6:09 AM, Pete Cordell wrote:
> Just wondering...
>
> If other languages such as Java, C# etc. can be compiled to Javascript, do
> people see problems with Javascript being the bytecode of the Internet?

I don't, unless everyone hates Lisp.  I don't even think compilation to 
JavaScript is very necessary, though GWT demonstrates it can be usefully 
done.

JavaScript has grown tremendously over the last decade, not just in 
sprawling reach but also in best practices.  It's making a lot of people 
retire assumptions about object-oriented development that they picked up 
from Java or C++, and to be honest it's beating out assumptions people 
picked up from XML with JSON.

I'm pretty much shifting to JavaScript completely these days, even 
looking to Node.js for server-side JavaScript.  I'll be using it for 
small things, but it turns out that JavaScript is also a good fit for 
scaling up because you can write non-blocking code in it relatively 
easily.  I still do like Ruby and Rails, but while metaprogramming is 
cool, it's not necessary.

Not that you all should drop what you're doing and grab a copy of 
JavaScript Patterns, but I'm hoping that the JavaScript-bashing will 
subside.  My favorite recent quote:

"It used to be that if you programmed in JavaScript, no one took you 
seriously.  Now, if you don't, they won't take you seriously."

Good luck in a changing world,
-- 
Simon St.Laurent
http://simonstl.com/