undefined | Better HN

0 pointstonyedgecombe4y ago0 comments

>Javascript values programming velocity, accessibility to new programmers and simplicity.

You are joking aren't you?

0 comments

No, I'm not. Or at least, not as I see it.

How would you describe javascript's values, compared to other languages? This is a great chart / explanation of this kind of thinking from Bryan Cantrill:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wZ1pCpJUIM

tonyedgecombeOP4y ago

No integers. What's the difference between == and ===. Why do I need to learn two ways to declare a class. What module system should I use and why are they all different. Why isn't there much of a standard library. WTF is Grunt, NPM, etc. Just explain 'this' to me again. What is the distinction between null and undefined. What is the difference between for/of and for/in.

JavaScript is far from accessible to new users neither is it simple.

josephg4y ago

You're arguing that javascript doesn't succeed at being accessible to new programmers. I'm not arguing that. I'm saying that javascript nominally values about being accessible to new programmers. There are way more novice programmers using javascript than (almost?) any other language. This isn't an accident.

tonyedgecombeOP4y ago

>This isn't an accident.

No, it's because it's effectively the only option in the browser. If you are going to write front end code then you will end up writing JavaScript in some form or another.

And being popular doesn't necessarily mean it is accessible nor simple. If it had been I doubt we would have seen Python becoming the dominant language in education.

1 more reply

coolgeek4y ago

I agree with most of your points. But the distinction between null and undefined is an important one. Its absence is a legitimate complaint about SQL.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

josephg4y ago

No, I'm not. Or at least, not as I see it.

How would you describe javascript's values, compared to other languages? This is a great chart / explanation of this kind of thinking from Bryan Cantrill:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wZ1pCpJUIM

tonyedgecombeOP4y ago

JavaScript is far from accessible to new users neither is it simple.

josephg4y ago

tonyedgecombeOP4y ago

>This isn't an accident.

No, it's because it's effectively the only option in the browser. If you are going to write front end code then you will end up writing JavaScript in some form or another.

And being popular doesn't necessarily mean it is accessible nor simple. If it had been I doubt we would have seen Python becoming the dominant language in education.

1 more reply

coolgeek4y ago

I agree with most of your points. But the distinction between null and undefined is an important one. Its absence is a legitimate complaint about SQL.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse