[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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