Sunday, March 18, 2007

I still find Javascript the hardest

With all the languages I write code in, I still find the most difficult language to write code through is Javascript.

When it comes to writing javascript, I start having some headaches, here's why:

1. I start imagining the different constructs I'll use to check for browser versions.
2. I need to check for different user settings.
3. The debugger on Internet Explorer SUCKS!
4. The language itself is neither Object Oriented, nor friendly, its a strange language where an object becomes an array with a strange form of instantiation, strange syntax.
5. Whenever I think of growing myself in this language, I start getting the feeling that its not worth it. I will only need it for small webapplication tweaking functionalities along with AJAX calls, so there's really no need in investing my mind brain cells in it.

The only thing that made my life easier lately is a very good javascript debugger by the name of FireBug which comes as an add-on for FireFox.

Other than that, I feel that this is the reason why there are very very very few excellent javascript developers around. And guess what, the demand is growing.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

ur mixing javascript with DOM and client side scripting... javascript is an enterpreted language, it does have objects and can be instaniated but truth is, because of the loose definitions, i find it easier to script with javascript than write vb code, where u must declare everything
as for the DOM, it is object oriented to the bones (except for type declaration) as for client-side scripting, ajax is both client side and server side, and vbscript can be used instead, i think there are other languages that can be used but i am not sure, in other words, javascript alone is innocent! u can write bat files with javascript!

Basil 3ibs said...

Yes ur right.

However, i dont recall anyone using javascript these days to write server side code.

Therefore, the title should be:

"I still find Javascript client side programming the hardest."