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by ashkav 4573 days ago
the better question is: what will be the next platform? there will be high momentum for change when the underlying platform changes, with todays platform it's just too convenient to compile to C or compile to javascript.

how will platforms evolve?

I'd say it will be a language that is parallel to the core and only sequential in edge cases, because thats what the underlying platform (processor, graphics card) is evolving to. parallel first, sequential second.
2 comments
astrobe_ 4573 days ago
Good question, but I think the angle of the language is not the best way to answer it. "Killer app" prevails, and that's the story of Javascript. Take a killer platform, feature it with a poorly designed language, or even a combo of 3 more or less objectionable languages (HTML+CSS+JS), and it'll win no matter what.

I think that from the user perspective, one gets from Internet nearly everything one wants in terms of content. The new frontier, I believe, is interoperability. That is the possibility to make it work together and in smart ways all of our electronic devices, from the tiniest (e.g. wristwatch) to the biggest (e.g. TV set, car), anywhere any time. So I predict the next platform shift will be initiated by a large consumer electronics manufacturer.

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xcambar 4573 days ago
This is precisely where my thoughts led me, but by a different path:

Javascript has become widely popular for 3 reasons (IMO): * it's standardized * it's easy (yes, it is, period) * it's f*ing included in each and every browser, and its rise followed closely that of the web.

Moreover, the fact that Adobe came with a more powerful yet proprietary VM (namely, Flash) forced evolution of Web standards (JS included) so they could live on. That's Darwin 101.

Every use of JS outside the browser comes from developers willing to have the same ease of use out-browser than they had in-browser. But JS, as popular as it is, is not yet as popular outside of the browser than it is inside of it. Stop looking at the Web ecosystem and dive into the industry, you'll see.

What will happen to JS if we kill the browser? Or what will come out that will kill the browser? And will it have an impact on JS?

The bond is yet very tight between those two pals, don't you think?

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