Why is Javascript still a thing?

[CodeWraith]

You can't become a CodeWraith until they have drained every bit of enthusiasm and interest from you. JavaScript (or being threatened with having to work with it) makes flipping burgers not so bad a carreer choice after all.

[W Balboos GHB]

It's still around because it, like most of the things that are beat upon in a tribal unison, does its job. My only complaint, really, is that it fails silently, taking other code with it if in the same <script> block. The solution to part two is rather obvious. Take that affront, VB6 (notice tribal chant!) - my director's primary language is SQL. He can write very elaborate applications in VB6, when called upon - and sure, their a bit of a mess compared to when I convert them to C++ or even a web page - but externally, they look just like the others. To the users - no difference. So - I really embraced strong typing, once I got used to it (so many decades ago). Yet, the ability of javascript (and PHP) to treat things as both values and strings - well they're for making web pages, damn it - which are composed of characters. Relaxing the rules on one end makes life much easier on the other.* It's a balance. Once gotten used to, the simplicity it(they) add(s) to the processes it(they) was(were) designed to facilitate are facilitated. It's one less bit of worry when I build pages that usually include four languages, sometimes five. Nothing's for free: strengths are offset with weaknesses or difficulties, somewhere else. C++, for example, take a bit more savvy than C# - yet, managed and unmanaged code has IJW in C++. In DOS, I could access the ROM bios - and did so routinely w/inline assembly (C) - but in NT, all those applications went down the crapper. On the other hand, the O/S was now protected from accidents, usually only single instance crashing instead of the whole machine being taken out because of a pointer error. Win and lose. Yin and Yang. So - the fallibility of javascript - as you see it - is because it's realm gives you some slack to get on with it's purpose. * I'll save others of proposing the analogy of allowing bad food in one end make things way too easy on the other.
[edit]Just fixed some of the typos[/edit]

Ravings en masse^

"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein

"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

[Nathan Minier]

I have to completely agree with Balboos with one minor addition: If you are frustrated by JS it's because you're trying to treat it like C#/Java. It's not the same thing, it doesn't work in the same way, and it's like being mad at a spoon for not being a fork.

"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics." - Benjamin Disraeli

[ZurdoDev]

Precisely. :thumbsup:

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who can extrapolate from incomplete data. There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

[ZurdoDev]

GKP1992 wrote:

debugging JS code in a browser is one of the worst things about web development.

It isn't that hard once you learn how things work, in my opinion. I don't see it's problems any bigger than any other language. It works really well for what it does.

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who can extrapolate from incomplete data. There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.

[Lost User]

:laugh:

Now is it bad enough that you let somebody else kick your butts without you trying to do it to each other? Now if we're all talking about the same man, and I think we are... it appears he's got a rather growing collection of our bikes.

[Marc Clifton]

Actually, I'm rather impressed with the debugging ability in the browser. Granted, a large monitor really helps. ;) Marc

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[Sander Rossel]

I used to hate JavaScript for probably the same reasons you do. However, I've come to see some of its beauty. Then I ran into some issues in C# and thought to myself "this would be easy in JavaScript." Today, JavaScript is just another tool in the toolbox and, even server side, not my last choice. There are things I don't like about it, but there are certainly also things I DO like about it. And the best part is that it's getting better.

Best, Sander arrgh.js - Bringing LINQ to JavaScript SQL Server for C# Developers Succinctly Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly

[dandy72]

> Why is Javascript still a thing? What existing alternatives are you suggesting? That's why.

[Lost User]

It's a lot easier to debug than Haskell, of course that's not much of an accomplishment.

[GKP1992]

I agree that Javascript does what it is supposed to, but sometimes following its logic becomes a little difficult. And then it snowballs from there. Gets worse every hour, and leaves you with frustration. The lack of coding practices in javascript or the lack of people willing to follow is also to blame. These are the same problems "daddy languages" have faced and tried to resolve over the years. But in the end, everything has its goods and bads. I just wish that it learned from other language's mistakes/flaws. Anyways CP makes working a lot easier. I just had to rant somewhere, but here I also get some feedback which is always nice. :-D I just might finish this today.:thumbsup:

I am not the one who knocks. I never knock. In fact, I hate knocking. Just barge in will'Ya?

[Lost User]

It boosts IT employment, shortens the life of those same people, and as a side effect keeps thousands of coffee farm workers busy in far flung places like Kenya and Brazil (even if they only earn a dollar a week.) Think of the horror if they fixed that sort of stuff... hundreds of IT folks out in public... think of the children!

Sin tack the any key okay

[Daniel Pfeffer]

Undefined reference error - you are speaking about Java, not JavaScript.

If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack. --Winston Churchill

[kmoorevs]

GKP1992 wrote:

debugging JS code in a browser is one of the worst things about web development

:thumbsup: I think it's unanimous that most of us hate JS...especially the part where you get it working in one browser :) , then find that it fails in another! :mad: JS is the least used and least favorite of the half-dozen 'languages' that I work in regularly. As for 'Why is JavaScript still a thing', I think it's fair to say that currently, like it or not, the web runs on JavaScript. Since my duties involve a fair amount of web development, I keep my browser settings such that all script errors are reported. What really ticks me off is the apparent laziness of many developers who depend on the browser's ability to swallow errors (like an automatic on error resume next) instead of checking for 'undefined' or 'NaN'. In many cases, it becomes almost impossible to leave a website due to the onslaught of errors. X|

"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse

[Kevin McFarlane]

If you're really desperate you can always give [Elm](http://elm-lang.org/) a try... Strongly-typed with type inference. Compiles to JavaScript. Can introduce incrementally, i.e., no need to rewrite everything. No runtime exceptions. (Disclaimer, I've only had a brief look.)

Kevin

[Leng Vang]

I guess you could call me a moron, because I do write server side code in JavaScript (Nodejs that is) and a full SQL Server accessing one no less. I happen to like it better than using IIS. Only thing I missed in NodeJs is EF capability.

[Leng Vang]

JavaScript to my experience is like root beer. First taste is bad and saying who would drink such a foul taste drink. But you know what, the more you drink it, you grew to like more and more. Pretty soon you preferred it to other drinks, even genuine draft beer. I'm having second thought about how bad skunk smell. If you get just a fainted smell, it actually no bad at all. People paid good money for the scent. :-D

[Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter]

Do you mean two or more monitors...

Skipper: We'll fix it. Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this? Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.

[Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter]

I'm closing on 20 years of JavaScript. You have to accept it as JavaScript, it will solve 99% of your problems. As long as you try to bend it to be C# (or like) you will fail in so many ways... If you want to feel good with the tools, try using Notepad as editor and never hit F12 while you are in the browser... After two weeks you will see the benefits of the built in debugger... ;)

Skipper: We'll fix it. Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this? Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.

[Jon McKee]

I'm not the biggest fan of the language either but it is quite useful. Some of those frustrating bits also give you the ability to do things that simply aren't possible in other languages. That being said, I've really started to like Typescript[^]. It's a superset of JS so you basically just have to read up on how the type system works then you're good to go.