Modern JavaScript
#jsconf Notes
Rebecca Murphy
There is an effort in the Perl community to rebuild Perl’s image. We in the JavaScript community have some of the same issues.
Car geeks were the hackers of the 1900s.
Being a JavaScript hacker now is like being a car geek back then. There are lots of uncertainties.
There are lots of guidebooks and advice out there, but you really couldn’t do much without experience and expertise.
“Let’s build it before we are too old to enjoy it”
We are in a state right now where there are cars, but no infrastructure to put it in place.
The car guys decided to to it themselves and the Lincoln Highway Association was founded and they would:
- choose a path
- put up signs
- plant “seedling miles”
In the JavaScript community WE NEED TO:
- choose a path
- put up signs
- plant “seedling miles”
We need to create a path to the future. Without knowing how to structure a JavaScript application, without knowing how to manipulate the DOM, we have no path.
core as commodity: There is a core of functionality, we NEED to provide a path to the right way of doing known things. We can’t keep inventing the wheel.
We have to agree that there is a one right way of doing things.
We have to have a standardized module system. We cannot depend on specific implementations.
Check out AMD (http://unscriptable.com/code/Using-AMD-loaders/#0)
Library-agnostic dependency management: We have to have a better solution to manage dependencies than script tags!
We need signposts. We HAVE to teach people how to use the tools we have in place. Education is the signposts of the JavaScript problem.
We do not have enough sufficiently complex examples that are sufficiently easy to understand.
We have to demand interoperability. It will hurt, there will be winners and losers, but that is OK.
We have to reward the people fixing the bugs.Not the people with the next great thing.
promises in jQuery are awesome! Check them out.
AMD in Dojo is another example of doing the right thing in this space.
uber.js is another tool that is trying to standardize on solutions. (https://github.com/phiggins42/uber.js/tree/)
“Don’t be Denver.” - Don’t lie about your tools being the standard.
We have to move towards a more common path.
Design your stuff to play well with others.
We need to build it before we are too old to enjoy it.
Thanks to Rebecca for the great talk!
