JavaScript is the "VM" to target for D

[retard]

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:38:57 -0400, Nick Sabalausky wrote:

> "Nick Sabalausky" <a at a.a> wrote in message
> news:hqljod$cad$1 at digitalmars.com...
>> "Justin Johansson" <no at spam.com> wrote in message
>> news:hqk7ve$2ouj$1 at digitalmars.com...
>>>
>>> my current thinking seems to be aligning with others that JavaScript
>>> should be seen as the new "binary", albeit in text form, that HLLs
>>> should be compiling down to for "webapp" development.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> I believe *very* strongly in using a REAL language that then gets
>> compiled down to worthless crap like PHP, ActionScript, etc., whenever
>> such worthless crap platforms are necessary. Which is, of course,
>> necessary FAR too often when you do web development, as I do.
>>
>>
> Of course, I also believe very strongly that if a language or platform
> is crap (browser-JavaScript), then the *real* correct solution is to fix
> or replace it rather than just paint over it with another layer. But,
> hey! That's not how we do things here in the internet technology world!
> Just slap on another half-baked design to cover up last year's
> half-baked design! Repeat ad infinitum. (Am I the only one that learned
> anything from the old "There was an old lady who swallowed a..." nursery
> rhyme?).

The problem is, even if you come up with a superior alternative, there's 
a lots of politics in the way. Some (all?) enterprises expect to make 
profits from their old technology and push it further in all possible 
ways. It would take years or decades to replace anything without a killer 
application or two.

They only recently started to improve Javascript performance. It's not 
that bad actually. And the code can be distributed in cross-platform way 
across the network. They have low loading times unlike applets - a big 
win. E.g. I've started to use google docs, the UI is nice and doesn't 
crash unlike buggy native office applications.