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Show HN: An Easy Programming Language That Runs in the Browser

kabas.online

31–40 of 91 posts

Re: Show HN: An Easy Programming Language That Runs in the Browser

#31
post #7

The original Javascript was intended as an easy language that runs in the browser. And so it was in 1996. In reality, it seems, a successful language that runs in the browser had no way around becoming a "full-blown" language, as opposed to "easy".

JavaScript still can be easy if you ignore the rest of the ecosystem. Thing is, sooner or later, at the very least you find yourself wanting something like lodash or jQuery[1]. Ironically, the latter also came into existence to make programming across different browsers simpler back in the bad old days (of not that long ago), and did an admirable job of that. Unfortunately jQuery, and similar libraries of the mid-nou…

Confirming.

Javascript is really cool when you learn it. However, the moment you dip into libraries you are dependent on someone else's work. Then you run into a problem because Native doesnt let you use a specific library, and googling your issue recommends that specific library. You use something else, it works alright. Months later you re-write everything anyway.

Re: Show HN: An Easy Programming Language That Runs in the Browser

#32
post #11

What's under the hood? The source code is parsed to an AST , which is then executed. It began with a Java-Applet . When WebAssembly appeared, I ported it to C++ with a JS/HTML interface and added graphics. Recently I converted the C++ part to C , which halved the size of the wasm file.

Really liked that! Congratulations on your work, it is very inspiring. I am also trying to build small languages, for fun, I think the web could use more languages.

One example that is quite amazing in my opinion is Pyret, I think you might like it, check it out at https://www.pyret.org

Re: Show HN: An Easy Programming Language That Runs in the Browser

#33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

JavaScript still can be easy if you ignore the rest of the ecosystem. Thing is, sooner or later, at the very least you find yourself wanting something like lodash or jQuery[1]. Ironically, the latter also came into existence to make programming across different browsers simpler back in the bad old days (of not that long ago), and did an admirable job of that. Unfortunately jQuery, and similar libraries of the mid-nou…

It's Jevon's Paradox [1] applied to the browser, where increasing the efficiency in which the browser can be scripted paradoxically causes websites to become slower and harder to build. Not because JavaScript itself (or any of the libraries built on top it) got worse, but because by allowing developers the ability to script more and more complex applications, sites became slower, and developer tools became heavier to…

That sounds similar to Wirth’s Law. In general the more efficient a computer’s hardware is, the more bloated its software will be, so the slower the whole system will run.

Re: Show HN: An Easy Programming Language That Runs in the Browser

#34
I’m a huge fan of these sorts of simple programming languages. I consider the simplicity of Purebasic and TI-83/89 Basic to be one of the main reasons I was able to successfully get into programming in high school despite not having any programming classes. I was also simultaneously learning x86 ASM and while that was also super fun, my Basic programming was far ahead of my ASM. Being able to successfully build simple games in Basic is extremely motivating when learning to code.

Re: Show HN: An Easy Programming Language That Runs in the Browser

#35
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Python? Python is really easy to learn and has reached VB levels of snowball network effects.

Well... it was easy to learn. It really isn't easy to fully learn it as it used to be. I think there's a fundamental gulf between "easy language" and one that you'd want to do work in long term, and the history of Python is a great case study in that. If there aren't any "easy, real languages", well, if you want to fix that you'd better carefully study the reasons why all the easy languages have stopped being easy on…

What do you think makes Python more difficult to learn now than it used to be? It seems to me that there are even more tutorials now. Also, the confusion between learning 2.7 or 3+ is pretty much completely gone at this point, while the base core of the language remains as simple and readable as the older version in my opinion.

Re: Show HN: An Easy Programming Language That Runs in the Browser

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

JavaScript still can be easy if you ignore the rest of the ecosystem. Thing is, sooner or later, at the very least you find yourself wanting something like lodash or jQuery[1]. Ironically, the latter also came into existence to make programming across different browsers simpler back in the bad old days (of not that long ago), and did an admirable job of that. Unfortunately jQuery, and similar libraries of the mid-nou…

Confirming. Javascript is really cool when you learn it. However, the moment you dip into libraries you are dependent on someone else's work. Then you run into a problem because Native doesnt let you use a specific library, and googling your issue recommends that specific library. You use something else, it works alright. Months later you re-write everything anyway.

> However, the moment you dip into libraries you are dependent on someone else's work.

Like every other programming language?

> Then you run into a problem because Native doesnt let you use a specific library

You are confusing runtime and language.

Re: Show HN: An Easy Programming Language That Runs in the Browser

#37
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Python? Python is really easy to learn and has reached VB levels of snowball network effects.

But even Python requires installing the dev environment etc. I can see the use for this, for throwing people with no experience into "coding right away".

There exists several python web environments.

https://www.pythonanywhere.com/try-ipython/

https://repl.it/

https://trinket.io/python

Re: Show HN: An Easy Programming Language That Runs in the Browser

#39
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Python? Python is really easy to learn and has reached VB levels of snowball network effects.

Well... it was easy to learn. It really isn't easy to fully learn it as it used to be. I think there's a fundamental gulf between "easy language" and one that you'd want to do work in long term, and the history of Python is a great case study in that. If there aren't any "easy, real languages", well, if you want to fix that you'd better carefully study the reasons why all the easy languages have stopped being easy on…

Welp, Python+numerics/stats stack is really messy; new stuff like coroutines can be a mindfuck. But what of what was once easy in Python is now harder?

Parentheses after print statements?

Re: Show HN: An Easy Programming Language That Runs in the Browser

#40
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Confirming. Javascript is really cool when you learn it. However, the moment you dip into libraries you are dependent on someone else's work. Then you run into a problem because Native doesnt let you use a specific library, and googling your issue recommends that specific library. You use something else, it works alright. Months later you re-write everything anyway.

> However, the moment you dip into libraries you are dependent on someone else's work. Like every other programming language? > Then you run into a problem because Native doesnt let you use a specific library You are confusing runtime and language.

>> However, the moment you dip into libraries you are dependent on someone else's work.

>Like every other programming language?

The lack of a standard library means you'll be dipping in a lot sooner.

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