[squeak-dev] Using V8 for other languages
Dan Ingalls
Dan at SqueakLand.org
Sat Sep 6 03:58:26 UTC 2008
To me what is great about having fast JavaScript available is that
JavaScript *comes with* every browser, like Basic used to
come with every PC, and
JavaScript, although not what I would call elegant(*), is
quite flexible, and powerful
Together these enable all sorts of experiments with application
architectures, with languages, and so on, all without needing
installation, and thus free of all the problems of plugins,
firewalls, etc., and therefore instantly sharable with researchers
and users alike.
The Lively Kernel was born out of this point of view, and Alex's
OMeta is a wonderful tool for exploring the language side of things.
And there is a lot to discover right under our noses, I believe. For
instance some of the JavaScript subsets (AdSafe, Caja, Cajita, etc)
do get into the simple, powerful realm, and could enjoy even greater
speed. Also there are numerous experiments waiting to be done with
capabilities, islands, and other approaches to true modularity.
Until now there has been a substantial startup barrier but now any
new world of experimental semantics can be just a click away, and
fully integrated with al the other material on the web.
- Dan
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