Node.js

Overview

Ugh.

More detail, please?

As far as outright atrocious programming languages, Javascript ranks pretty high. That's saying a lot, since there are some truly atrocious languages out there. Javascript is such a horrible language that most Javascript experts refuse to even use certain features of it. They limit themselves to such a small set of functionality that they really aren't doing much more than programming their own virtual machine. In fact, that seems to be the only use for Javascript as of 2015 --- the compile target of other languages.

Now, what Javascript does well is exist. You can find it on pretty much any web browser. So, by that fact alone, it is going to be around for a long time, just like x86 is going to be around for a long time. We won't see Javascript truly disappear until browsers and HTML begin to disappear. (Don't say it can't happen!)

The biggest problems with Javascript can be found in the parameters of its existence.

1. It was poorly conceived, hastily implemented, and now we're stuck with it. I should write an article about the duty of programmers regarding the fact that Rant/someone might just actually use your software. There.
2. It is not owned by anyone. Or rather, it is owned be people who really, really don't want to get along. Think of Javascript as a Mexican Standoff and you get the right idea.
3. Given that it was poorly conceived, and that it can never really change, there is no hope it will ever get better.

In short, Javascript is poor, hopeless software.

As for Node.js, my only question is, "Why?" Why would someone actually *choose* Javascript out of all the programming languages in the universe? My only answer is that because Ruby is no good, PHP is terrible, and really, not enough people have heard of Python, or rather, actually understand what it is.