[TeMPOraL]

> Except there are html, css, javascript. Everyone already uses a browser so nothing to set up.

You haven't seen the current JS ecosystem, have you?

Now if you opt to ignore the entire modern JS scene - all that Babel, Webpack, NPM stuff - and just write plain old JS in a text editor to execute directly, then yes. And with browser dev tools having a half-decent REPL, I'd say this is a pretty good way to introduce someone to programming. Browsers have powerful features for UI and graphics built in, so even the "hello world" programs won't be boring.

(Also: technically, there is something to set up; you won't be able to run everything through file:// because $security, so you need a minimal local HTTP server to serve your files for you.)

[Whitestrake]

Is writing "plain old JS in a text editor" really that rare nowadays?

Honest question - I've only done a few websites, some with basic JS functionality and a few more advanced (for a website, that is) Go apps now - but never really felt the urge or need to reach for the "modern JS scene", so I'm unsure just how prevalent that kind of setup is.

[brucephillips]

It is for modern commercial products, yes.

And while there's some fragmentation and hacks that justify derision, it's not that bad. Any complex software component needs a package manager and a build system.