Javascript is not Java. Deal with it

There are different paradigms when it comes to programming languages. With each paradigm, you have different and unique methods and concepts that are used in the task of computation and getting the computer to do what you want. Sometimes these concepts share similarities; sometimes they go about their task in totally different ways. The merit of a paradigm is thus judged against the backdrop of the problem it is being used to solve and whether it is the best fit.

It would then be totally silly and dense to put a language down solely on the fact that it incorporates a different paradigm when compared to a language you are familiar with. Most of the bashing I see targeted at Javascript is largely due to this: coming from a different programming paradigm and getting miffed when different ways of doing things are encountered in the Javascript land.

At the risk of being wrong and committing fallacy of hasty generalization, I would say Java developers are most guilty of this (maybe it has to do with the misleading "Java" in Javascript? :p)

I say this, because from personal experience, (which I know is limited) I do not get the same close mindedness from the Python, Ruby and C# devs that I know.(This explains the title of the post I guess :p)

Maybe it is that difficult to come to terms that Javascript is a prototype based object oriented language and not a class based language?

Consequences of this close mindedness towards Javascript, thus lead to hacks and practices that try to bend and mould Javascript into something which it is not. I most of the time find this to be quite uneducated.

Coming from a Javascript-first background, before Java, I guess made it quite hard for me to have this kind of narrow mindedness and priggish attitude? I guess this helps to easily appreciate the unique ways of doing things in both languages. I like to think that this makes a better developer, as it is quite interesting to see how different ideas are implemented across languages and borrow from them in situation, when it is germane.

So when (if) I want to learn Haskell, I won’t go about complaining over how it has so many concepts; tricky and odd concepts and how it does things different when compared to say Javascript. And I wont try to write Javascript in Haskell.

And by the way, Javascript is not the only language that has its good parts. Every language does, Java, C++ inclusive :)

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