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Elm – “Designing to infantilize a target audience is how we got Java”

taneq 10y ago
Whereas taking something old but reliable and throwing whiz-bang new footguns at it is how we got C++. Don't get me wrong, it's still one of my favourite languages, but damn if sometimes it isn't like an alligator with a bunch of broken glass glued to it.
- pritambaral 10y ago
  To be fair to the context here, neither is: 1. JavaScript reliable like C, nor 2. Elm an addition of "whiz-bang new footguns" to JavaScript.
relics443 10y ago
Good for him. Let's compare the 2 languages in 20 years, and see how the language for the infantilized target audience is doing. I'm fairly certain Elm won't even be a footnote in history.
- pritambaral 10y ago
  To be fair, many items in history got popular being ... err, for the infantile; some primarily because of it. But I don't think popularity is one of Elm's goals. I use what I use because it works for me, and not because it's the fashionable trend; similarly, I think while Java has its place, I'll use Elm when it works for me. And not being dumbed down certainly serves some functions.
- cttet 10y ago
  Hitler is certainly not only a footnote.
extrospect 10y ago
...and then in the very next breath: JavaScript dev's who are interested in Elm, are the cream of the crop imho and good engineers will step upto the plate when challenged. Ha ha! Okay, buddy! So long, and thanks for all the fish! (cringe)
- alanfranzoni 10y ago
  Yes, that's an incredibly bold statement. Javascript today is probably the most popular language in the world (according to Github; other indices tell a different story), and that gives it the very same role that at once was fulfilled by Java or even PHP: it's probably the first language a newcomer will learn programming with, hence you'll find a lot of unskilled engineers as well as some experts. So, saying that Javascript devs, just because they're interested in Elm, are "the cream of the crop"... sounds ludicrous.

taneq 10y ago

Whereas taking something old but reliable and throwing whiz-bang new footguns at it is how we got C++. Don't get me wrong, it's still one of my favourite languages, but damn if sometimes it isn't like an alligator with a bunch of broken glass glued to it.

pritambaral 10y ago
To be fair to the context here, neither is: 1. JavaScript reliable like C, nor 2. Elm an addition of "whiz-bang new footguns" to JavaScript.

relics443 10y ago

Good for him. Let's compare the 2 languages in 20 years, and see how the language for the infantilized target audience is doing. I'm fairly certain Elm won't even be a footnote in history.

pritambaral 10y ago
To be fair, many items in history got popular being ... err, for the infantile; some primarily because of it. But I don't think popularity is one of Elm's goals. I use what I use because it works for me, and not because it's the fashionable trend; similarly, I think while Java has its place, I'll use Elm when it works for me. And not being dumbed down certainly serves some functions.
cttet 10y ago
Hitler is certainly not only a footnote.

extrospect 10y ago

...and then in the very next breath: JavaScript dev's who are interested in Elm, are the cream of the crop imho and good engineers will step upto the plate when challenged. Ha ha! Okay, buddy! So long, and thanks for all the fish! (cringe)

alanfranzoni 10y ago
Yes, that's an incredibly bold statement. Javascript today is probably the most popular language in the world (according to Github; other indices tell a different story), and that gives it the very same role that at once was fulfilled by Java or even PHP: it's probably the first language a newcomer will learn programming with, hence you'll find a lot of unskilled engineers as well as some experts. So, saying that Javascript devs, just because they're interested in Elm, are "the cream of the crop"... sounds ludicrous.