John Lam on Software: Steve Yegge ported Rails to JavaScript(iunknown.com)

33 pointsby elqvor 19 Jahren16 comments

John Lam on Software: Steve Yegge ported Rails to JavaScript

http://www.iunknown.com/2007/06/steve-yegge-por.html

18 comments

aaronibavor 19 Jahren

There's a really sweet web application framework called Helma that lets you write entire web apps in javascript, and gives you the JDK through Rhino. The documentation is a little slim, but it's my framework of choice. I don't know why it isn't more popular.

http://dev.helma.org/

mynameisherevor 19 Jahren

Here's where my ignorance shines through once again...but does the javascript that runs on the JVM have proper threading?

Coz, I'm really not sure how anything server-side could work properly with setInterval() or whatever the favored workaround is.

Why did he not use Python?

paulvor 19 Jahren

Rhino JS is well integrated with the JVM, so it's easy to call back and forth between Java and JS. You basically have access to everything Java has. JS doesn't have an equivalent to "synchronized", but it could easily be added as a function call (since JS has real functions). However, I wouldn't do that way since sticking synchronized blocks all over the place is the wrong solution anyway. Just write your code so that separate threads aren't stepping on eachother's data (and do cross-thread stuff in a carefully controlled manner).

I'm doing my development in Java+JS and it's a pretty nice combination.

motokovor 19 Jahren

http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2007/02/next-big-language.html

He didn't use Python because Javascript is the native scripting language for the "next platform," that is, the browser.

Also, he doesn't think that Python is superficially close enough to C and Java to be widely adopted.

inklesspenvor 19 Jahren

Plus, if you want Rails in Python, well, Pylons is pretty close. Only better.

menloparkbumvor 19 Jahren

he certainly looks like he just ported rails to javascript. yikes!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1188/612490975_5b2f804df2.jpg

zachvor 19 Jahren

What? Wow. What?!

Okay, that sounds great, but what a bureaucratic-sounding backstory. Seriously, that sounds like what happens in Soviet Russia: languages program you!

motokovor 19 Jahren

No, it's because if Javascript is both the language you write client code AND server code, it could be huge.

jamongkadvor 19 Jahren

Agreed which could possibly pave the way for offline apps.

[deleted]vor 19 Jahren

run4yourlivesvor 19 Jahren

What's really awesome is that I can turn all 2000 hours of work off by adjusting my preferences. I have the power!! :-)

gyro_robovor 19 Jahren

Seems like a wasted effort, but an incredible effort nonetheless!

gyro_robovor 19 Jahren

Steve Yen already did it, a couple years ago.

http://code.google.com/p/trimpath/wiki/TrimJunction

brettvor 19 Jahren

Wow do I want to look through that codebase.

staunchvor 19 Jahren

Me too. I'd settle for some example code for now though.

byrneseyeviewvor 19 Jahren

Sure, we might go look at framework code sometimes. But it just looks like, well, code. There's usually nothing particularly famous-looking or even glamorous about it. Go look at the source code for Emacs or Rails or Python or Firefox, and it's just a big ball of code. In fact, often as not it's a big hairy ball, and the original author is focused on refactoring or even rewriting big sections of it.

http://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/07/get-famous-by-not-programming.html

I wonder if he wrote that while worrying about this sort of thing.

gyro_robovor 19 Jahren

Why not the Rails to JavaScript port by another Steve...

http://code.google.com/p/trimpath/wiki/TrimJunction

[deleted]vor 19 Jahren