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0 pointssearchableguy5y ago0 comments

I disagree on the current sentiment but agree that browser monopoly pushed js on people. If js didn't evolve over the last few years (since es5), I would have believed removing it from the browser would kill it.

Right now, you have options to avoid writing js at all. There might be some glue code in js but you can write vast majority of your code in other languages and target js. People still choose to write in js.

Purescript, elm, clojurescript, kotlin, bucklescript, and the list goes on. There is a to-js transpiler for every popular language. Why aren't they seeing more usage?

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BiteCode_dev5y ago

> Purescript, elm, clojurescript, kotlin, bucklescript, and the list goes on. There is a to-js transpiler for every popular language. Why aren't they seeing more usage?

Because a layer of indirection is a heavy price to pay.

If I could code in Python with zero cost in the browser, I would. Hell, I would code in Lua, Lisp or Ruby if that was the alternative.

CodeShmode5y ago

Because for ecosystem and tooling JavaScript is the first class citizen. TypeScript was accepted as the defacto static typing system because it diverges so little, and valid JS is valid TS meaning example code can still be used close to verbatim.

shirshak555y ago

tbh JS is popular only because of browser monopoly. JS became popular because of internet usage otherwise it would just die. It started with 1997 changed little at 1998 and 4th edition was even abandoned lol. and it took so long to evolve after that. in 2019 there was update and from 2015 we are seeing good progress. no we still cannot avoid because browser needs it. Hopefully wasm can replace but it still has long way to go.

So i don't subscribe to idea that js is not popular because of browser monopoly.

searchableguyOP5y ago

I am not disagreeing with that?

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