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What people in tech had to say about JavaScript when it debuted in 1995 (2017)

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Re: What people in tech had to say about JavaScript when it debuted in 1995 (2017)

#81

Post by thrower123 »

aazaa wrote: post #5

The release of JavaScript was deeply confusing to me as a developer back then. Java applets and Macromedia Flash were already touted by their vendors as the one true way forward for interactivity. The scripting language released at about the same time seemed like an oddball. It's easy to forget, but for years after its introduction JavaScript didn't work well. It was extremely slow, limiting the complexity of what co…

Java Applets over current connections, on current hardware, and written with Kotlin would be pretty nice. Especially if we still had plain old HTML and CSS too for non-applications.

Re: What people in tech had to say about JavaScript when it debuted in 1995 (2017)

#83

Post by perl4ever »

"“Paper Software plans to use JavaScript as the glue which lets our development partners couple Java, plug-ins, and Paper’s multi-dimensional VRML user interfaces within a distributed, online application.”"

These quotes don't sound right. I was working for an ISP around 1995ish and telling people how to set up Trumpet WinSock and MacTCP and Internet Explorer. Java wasn't even public yet, was it? Someone wanted an interactive web page, so I used Perl and CGI.

"JavaScript is a great way to get cross-platform scriptable access to databases and move the resulting data into Macromedia Shockwave, where it can be rendered, animated and made into live interactive multimedia for the Internet."

Live interactive multimedia? At 3.6KB/s? I remember a T1 (24 simultaneous calls) being a big deal, now my phone seems to have about 40 times the bandwidth.

A lot of familiar stuff came out around that general time, but it didn't spring forth fully formed. Someone was creating what would become eBay at the time too, but that doesn't mean it was a thing yet.

Maybe these are all genuine quotes, but they feel like they are from someone who thinks of 1995, 1998, 2002, etc. as all being "a long time ago".

Re: What people in tech had to say about JavaScript when it debuted in 1995 (2017)

#84

Post by 8bitsrule »

billziss wrote: post #38

I wrote my first website in 1995 and started using Javascript in 1996 (only I think it was called Livescript back then)? I was not impressed. On the client side I would use it for very few things and when I tried the server side version I decided that I would rather stick with Perl and CGI. Although I did not like Perl, I could get things done with it. (Oh, I just remember: also Cold Fusion!) My opinion of Javascript…

> I think it was called Livescript back then)?

As Encyclopedia Brittanica (!! who'd have thought) puts it,

JavaScript was developed in 1995 at Netscape Communications Corp. and was conceived of as a companion to Java. It was originally called Mocha and then LiveScript before Netscape received a marketing license from Sun.[0]

And then it became 'a dialect of ECMAScript'...

[0] https://www.britannica.com/technology/JavaScript

Re: What people in tech had to say about JavaScript when it debuted in 1995 (2017)

#85

Post by dragonshed »

cletus wrote: post #47
andykellr wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Inbox was definitely written using GWT, as were other major google products, but not gmail as far as I know.

That’s not true. Inbox was written in Angular originally. Not sure what it evolved to but it was always JavaScript.

Angular definitely did not catch on for google properties until much much later. Back when I did nothing but backbone/angular consulting, none of the major google properties used angular.

Re: What people in tech had to say about JavaScript when it debuted in 1995 (2017)

#87

Post by type0 »

wslh wrote: post #67

JavaScript was used for very simple things when it was launched. Most pages used it for modifying button images when you hover or press a button, and for handling some web form operations. As others say JavaScript was very confusing, a programming language that was launched with Java in its name and to fill gaps in HTML limitations but there was no clear direction towards web app programming. Another confusing aspect…

Flash embraced ActionScript (ECMAscript 4) when no-one did and ultimately it also killed it. This is like some tree that allows the strangler fig to grow on it.

Re: What people in tech had to say about JavaScript when it debuted in 1995 (2017)

#88

Post by emtel »

Endy wrote: post #80
aazaa wrote: post #5

The release of JavaScript was deeply confusing to me as a developer back then. Java applets and Macromedia Flash were already touted by their vendors as the one true way forward for interactivity. The scripting language released at about the same time seemed like an oddball. It's easy to forget, but for years after its introduction JavaScript didn't work well. It was extremely slow, limiting the complexity of what co…

Well, if by 'for years', you mean 25 years, you're right. ECMAScript is still hot garbage that clogs up computers and the internet, ballooning requirements on browsers and nearly forcing the monoculture we have in terms of browsers and rendering. If you want a website, you should write a website. If you want a program, you should write a program. Don't write programs to run in the same space as websites.

> Don't write programs to run in the same space as websites.

Who do you imagine is going to find this advice compelling?

Re: What people in tech had to say about JavaScript when it debuted in 1995 (2017)

#89

Post by pavlov »

carterehsmith wrote: post #68
scarface74 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let’s give credit where it’s due. The first large scale use of AJAX was Microsoft using it in Outlook Mail for the web in 2000.

Indeed. Microsoft also exposed all of that HTML/JS engine as COM or whatever component, so it could be used by applications other than browser. I remember using Microsoft Money -- personal accounting software -- and it seemed to be all built on that HTML/JS engine.

It’s crazy how Microsoft had all the pieces in place in 2001 to own both the Chrome and Electron spaces. Even Apple was shipping IE as their default browser.

By investing in cross-platform IE and making it both the best browser and the universal runtime for desktop-quality apps, they could have had “Windows Everywhere”.

Instead they did the exact opposite and folded IE into a component of desktop Windows where it received no meaningful investment and lost its once commanding lead. Microsoft’s exclusive focus on their proprietary non-portable APIs was a great blunder.

Re: What people in tech had to say about JavaScript when it debuted in 1995 (2017)

#90

Post by edtechdev »

jackallis wrote: post #82

This obviously lends the question, given it's criticism back in the day, which PL is the next javascript?

Maybe it depends on what's the next platform. C/C++ was sort of a base programming language for desktop apps, javascript for the browser, and Objective C & Java for mobile. Server apps have been a mix of PHP/python/java/ruby/node.js.

I guess my 2 wild guesses for the long-term future might be either or both 1) a visual/block programming tool (which perhaps might perhaps be more usable in virtual reality type environments) or 2) natural language programming (programming in English and/or other natural languages), which might be more usable in both virtual reality and chat environments.

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