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Things I Would Rather Do Than Program In Javascript
I am writing up a new version of batBack, my web syndication tool. I have realized over the last few weeks that I have been procrastinating. Well finally today I figured out why: I hate Javascript. I don't mean hate like "I would rather eat snails" i mean hate like "i would rather live with snails" It's just bad. Everything is an object, nothing has a type, and structures are total BS. Yes -- there are ways around anything, but at the end of the day, when I'm working in Javascript, I keep feeling like I should have done something, anything more important with my time.
So I decided to write a list of things I would rather do than program in Javascript. It goes something like this:
- Surf around on Digg, DZone or Slashdot
- Write a blog article
- Clip toenails
- Clip fingernails
- Wait for toenails and fingernails to grow back to clip them again
- Have my blood sucked out by rabid weasels
- Be given an enema by an escaped circus elephant
- Watch a 14-hour miniseries on the history of naval lint
- Search for naval lint
- Join the navy
- Clean a battleship with a feather duster
- Pluck feathers from the giant angry horned attack ostrich of New Guinea
- Juggle Guinea Pigs
- Investigate the velocity of a Guinea Pig shot through a piece of PVC pipe by exploding lighter fluid
- Determine whether flaming Guinea Pigs leave smoke trails
- Create firing computer for Guinea Pig cannon
- Test firing computer on neighbors when they get home
- Be arrested
- Sing a solo of "Everbody Must Get Stoned" at the Policeman's Ball
- Found my own religion
- Design cool outfits and hand salutes
- Become an expert on Star Trek
- Stare out window pointlessly
- Clean windows
- Invent my own rap song about cleaning windows
- Learn to like rap
- Write a book about the Lindbergh baby Kidnapping
- Be abducted by space aliens
- Ask aliens about Lindbergh kidnapping
- Write book "Were Aliens involved in the Lindbergh Kidnapping?"
- Appear on Oprah
- Kiss Oprah square on the mouth and announce that I am her love child
- Hire a lawyer
- Write new book: "Oprah: She ain't gay, she's my momma"
- Hire another lawyer
- Become romantically involved with Jennifer Aninston (Hey! It's my list. I make the rules here)
- Surf web for new pictures of Jennifer Aninston
- Pick nose
- Take a nap
- Get to work!
Right now I'm on item #2. That gives me some time before I have to start working!
4 Comments
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So. maybe you should investigate how to make javascript work with you a bit more instead of fighting with it so much. 1) https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1843/ (Firebug debugger), 2) http://www.jslint.com/lint.html (JSLint Javascript Verifier), 3) Use some established cross browser libraries. Prototype, Scriptaculous, Mochikit. All viable options. It won't solve all your problems, but it will probably help a bunch.
Maybe you should learn JavaScript first. Really, JavaScript works very well and is very powerfull. You only have to know how it works.
Thanks guys. I appreciate the comments.
I already program in C++, C, VB, C#, Java, PL-SQL, and T-SQL. I have been using HTML and JavaScript for as long as it has been out, I think.
I understand your comments and I find them useful. I already have FF and all of the extensions, and I think I know JS. Where else could you just take a variable, any variable, and assign stuff to it on the fly? It's a beautiful thing. Everything is everything.
Aside from the lack of type support, poor error handling, awful information hiding, and cross-browser headaches, I love JavaScript. It's the best "true" internet language we have today. And I think most of the cool apps of the next few years will be built in it.
Perhaps my environment is not tweaked enough. I am just jumping back in again, so I am sure part of my trepidation is just my feelings about the transition period. I find it tough to do C#, JS, T-SQL, and SOAP at the same time. Perhaps others do not.
If you use the haXe compiler you can get the static types back.