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Speaking JavaScript
book

Speaking JavaScript

by Axel Rauschmayer
February 2014
Beginner to intermediate content levelBeginner to intermediate
460 pages
8h 32m
English
O'Reilly Media, Inc.
Content preview from Speaking JavaScript

Chapter 2. Why JavaScript?

There are many programming languages out there. Why should you use JavaScript? This chapter looks at seven aspects that are important when you are choosing a programming language and argues that JavaScript does well overall:

  1. Is it freely available?
  2. Is it an elegant programming language?
  3. Is it useful in practice?
  4. Does it have good tools, especially good integrated development environments (IDEs)?
  5. Is it fast enough for what you want to do?
  6. Is it widely used?
  7. Does it have a future?

Is JavaScript Freely Available?

JavaScript is arguably the most open programming language there is: ECMA-262, its specification, is an ISO standard. That specification is closely followed by many implementations from independent parties. Some of those implementations are open source. Furthermore, the evolution of the language is handled by TC39, a committee comprising several companies, including all major browser vendors. Many of those companies are normally competitors, but they work together for the benefit of the language.

Is JavaScript Elegant?

Yes and no. I’ve written fair amounts of code in several programming languages from different paradigms. Therefore, I’m well aware that JavaScript isn’t the pinnacle of elegance. However, it is a very flexible language, has a reasonably elegant core, and enables you to use a mixture of object-oriented programming and functional programming.

Language compatibility between JavaScript engines used to be a problem, but isn’t anymore, ...

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Publisher Resources

ISBN: 9781449365028Errata