Because, unlike C, C++, C# and even VB the language was implemented in a rush and is dependant on the browser interpreter working 'properly', and there are no decent development tools for it.

Posted by: Mac on September 27, 2002 01:26 PM

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Tog has something to say about Javascript on his site. Scroll to the part with the headline "JavaScript, the ultimate hack".

Posted by: MadMan on September 27, 2002 01:52 PM

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Both are interesting articles. I kind of like JavaScript, when used properly. It's not a substitute for server-side verification in programs, though, but it's terrific for a basic site. I've even designed forms written entirely by JavaScript that can post and repost data when server-side programming could not be used. So I can't knock it, but I also really see where Mac is coming from with his points.

It's probably too late to do anything about JavaScript, sadly.

Posted by: Lydia on September 27, 2002 03:14 PM

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JavaScript has several nasty aspects, but to me it's great that virtually every desktop computer now comes with a useful, easy-to-access programming environment built in. Fire up Notepad (or equivalent) and a Web browser and you can have "Hello world" alert boxes in no time.

And even at its nastiest it stands up against VB pretty well. Programming in VB always reminds me of the clunky BASIC I used on the ZX Spectrum, it's horrible. Even Microsoft disliked it enough to invent C#.

Posted by: Matt Round on September 28, 2002 01:23 PM

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Matt, god forbid I don't want to start a language war, but....

VB us an example of the triumph of Usability over Engineering

c# is java version 2, not a response to vb.

Posted by: Mac on September 30, 2002 07:04 AM

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Yeah, it's a response to Java, but I still think VB's inelegant and much harder to skim through than most other modern programming languages.

{
    Or maybe I just really like braces
}

Posted by: Matt Round on September 30, 2002 02:28 PM

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Meccano brought a lot of people to engineering, even though you couldn't have used it to build the Golden Gate Bridge.

While (boolForgotMySemiColon)
Wend

Posted by: Mac on September 30, 2002 03:35 PM

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anyone knows that VAX FORTRAN is the best programming language ever. Closely followed by 6502 assembler.

Quite excited by Fujitsu's COBOL.NET implementation, though ..

Posted by: Bruce on October 1, 2002 12:21 PM

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I love JavaScript -- for what it's good at. A few days ago I blogged about a number of limitations of JavaScript (okay, I had to come up with 10 limitations - 10's a nice round number, 9 looked a bit 'odd'). Check it out:

http://crocolyle.blogspot.com/2002_09_22_crocolyle_archive.html#82206642

Saying JavaScript is a 'good programming language' is like saying English is a good verbal language - big deal. Languages are mainly of interest to linguists (or those who fancy themselves linguists) -- most[1] of the human race isn't interested in language, they're interested in communication.

Real People[tm] don't care about programming languages.

[1] Note the "most" 'statistic' is not based on any rigorous research, expertise, or even deep thought. Feel free to substitute the words "all," "none," "some," "many," "few," or "a couple."[2]

[2] Hey is this the first Webword comment with footnotes? Eureka!

Posted by: Lyle - Usability Guru on October 1, 2002 11:37 PM

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Programming Language Discussion = Religious War
Discussion from Joel On Software

Lyle, technically your footnote [2] is actually a footnote fottnote and as such should have been labelled [1.1]

Posted by: Mac on October 2, 2002 07:45 AM

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