JavaScript is the "VM" to target for D

[Nick Sabalausky]

"Adam D. Ruppe" <destructionator at gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:mailman.54.1271813929.3522.digitalmars-d at puremagic.com...
> On Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 09:18:45PM -0400, Nick Sabalausky wrote:
>> 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.
>
> If you are stuck in a situation where you need to do a web app, but are
> allowed to use compiled CGI binaries, I've written cgi and mysql modules
> for D2 over the last few weekends. (Have to do almost everything D related
> purely on weekends to satisfy my contract's copyright assignment clause. 
> Ugh.)
>
> They are in here:
> http://arsdnet.net/dcode/
>
> The mysql module sucks, but it works and already beats the crap out of 
> PHP.
>

Cool.

I just found out earlier today that my web host ( 100megswebhosting.com ) 
allows arbitrary CGI (ie this is the host *my* site is on, not any of my 
clients unfortunately...but I've been very happy with my host for a long 
time so I've been thinking about trying to go with either their reseller 
program, or at least affiliate program, for future clients, assuming the 
client will go for it. They seem to usually have their own hosting already 
though, and then I have to put up with whatever hosting idiots they decided 
to hire :/ ). But anyway, my host is x86 linux, so I probably won't have to 
deal with cross-compiling. Unfortunately, they don't do any sort of FastCGI, 
though :(

But I've been wanting to whip up my own blog^H^H^H^Hpersonal-site software 
for awhile now, so I'm deciding between D and Haxe. I love D, of course, but 
Haxe has HaxeIgniter, a rails-like framework that I'm already neck-deep into 
for one of my clients. I'd like to make a rails-like framework for D, but 
that would take time, so I think I'm leaning towards "Haxe for now, and 
re-write in D if I ever get a chance."

> If CGI is an option, D rocks for it. If not, I know your pain :( (Though
> hopefully ending soon - I've been trying to sell my clients on D, and the
> big one seems excited about it! With his dedicated server, using cgi is
> easy. Very cool.)
>

/me jealous ;)

>> The other issue I have with it is that I feel *VERY* strongly that
>> JavaScript should *only be used sparingly*. Specifically, any web app
>> *should* be designed and built from the start without any use of 
>> JavaScript
>> whatsoever.
>
> Amen!
>

You might be interested in this. Maybe you've already known but I just came 
across it a few weeks ago:
http://www.anybrowser.org/campaign/

The FAQ is pretty old, and although it seems to frowns on mandatory JS it's 
not particularly clear about that point (it mainly focuses on 
browser-choice), but I thought it was pretty cool. Yet another of of my 
"5,000,000 projects that I want to do, if I ever have the time" is to start 
an updated version of that which, among other things, emphasizes not trying 
to cram unnecessary JS down people's throats.

>> (/me waits for Adam Ruppe's DWS with baited breath :) )
>
> Me too. I haven't been able to work on it for months now, but this big 
> paying
> project is about to launch, so maybe my time will finally free up soon.
>

I have to say, I've always been slightly jealous that you beat me to the 
proof-of-concept ;)  I swear, we both came to the same general design idea 
independently. I keep spreading myself too thin though.