[randomsearch]

I’m not sure this is true. For example, what can I learn from JS that isn’t in better languages? In tech we have this weird situation where many things become popular without good reason. It’s ironic, because a group of people (nerds) who think they are the epitome of rationality are actually the opposite: we make very emotional decisions when we could be entirely rational, as we have access to data other fields do not.

[simongray]

Frontend doesn't always mean using JS. You can use a well-designed, modern language like ClojureScript instead that isn't anything like using JS, yet nevertheless has the same access to the browser.

[austincheney]

Well... there are only two standard APIs for the front end: DOM and the web API (browser stuff and HTML5 things). Once comfort with those is achieved you suddenly need so much less code to do radically more ambitious things.

The time saved in both authoring and maintenance pays for itself in learning the standards.

[sombremesa]

> For example, what can I learn from JS that isn’t in better languages?

I only said "at least a few core ideas" -- not, "at least a few unique core ideas". Sure there are other places you can learn the same things, which of course doesn't mean that JS is now somehow stripped of that value.

[sophiebits]

The web community has a focus on byte size which is rarely found anywhere else in application development.