Brendan Eich Discusses the Future of JavaScript

snydeq writes "JavaScript creator Brendan Eich talks at length about the future of JavaScript, ARAX, disputes with Microsoft, and the Screaming Monkey scripting engine for IE in an interview with InfoWorld's Paul Krill. JavaScript 2, which Mozilla's Eich expects to be available in some form by the end of the year, will 'address programming in the large.' To do that, Eich hopes to improve the integrity of the language without sacrificing flexibility and making JavaScript 'painfully static in a fixed way like Java does.' Eich does not expect Firefox support for JavaScript 2 until at least Version 3.1 of the browser. As for Internet Explorer, Eich explains how Screaming Monkey will help bring JavaScript 2 to IE should Microsoft drag its heels on providing meaningful support."

Ow.

[taupin]

This statement made my mind hurt:

"[...] use JavaScript as kind of an underlying assembly language [...]"

Re:Insightful

[lightversusdark]

You can't spell superior.
Or use line breaks.

screaming monkey?

[Red Flayer]

As for Internet Explorer, Eich explains how Screaming Monkey will help bring JavaScript 2 to IE should Microsoft drag its heels on providing meaningful support.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm curious why he would name it "Screaming Monkey". I could see maybe an allusion to speed ("screaming" is sometimes a term used to describe something going really, really fast so s/Grease/Screaming makes sense, I guess).

But really I think it shows the understanding Eich has for the thousands of codemonkeys hammering away at JS for IE. I'd be screaming too if I was coding JS for IE.

On the other hand, I've had the (dis)pleasure of a rollicking night of Victory Golden Monkey followed by a visit from the Beer Monkey [urbandictionary.com]. Waiting for MS to make IE support JS2 might cause an additional night or two like that.

FWIW, the Beer Monkey usually howls, rather than screams. YMMV... depending on the quantity of Golden Monkeys consumed.

Re:Really?

[Pollardito]

since the last version prior to 3.0 was 2.0.0.14 [wordpress.com], 3.1 might be further off than it sounds