Part 3: "The Dojo Programming Model" reminds me of a simpler time when inventors inevitably predicted their inventions would utterly change the world. You know, that cars would make horses go extinct. Phones would make the post office go out of business. That sort of thing. In this case, the well-meaning Dojo people obviously intend to be the be-all-end-all of JavaScript libraries.
(And there's no shortage of other contemporary examples. Good heavens, I don't think anything will ever me truly obsolete from this point on. Vinyl records are coming back into fashion, potentially replacing CDs. "Classic" video games are being recycled via subscription services and mobile devices.)
But programmers seem particularly vulnerable to thinking this way. We always seem to think our One True Library/Language/Tool/Whatever will replace everything else because it's Better Cheaper and Prettier. Of course, this is rarely, if ever, the case. Looking back in time, we see that older technology can be supplanted, but it never really goes away. We still have telegraphs; we still have blacksmiths, and horses, and vaccum tubes. Heck, we even have gas ranges (something I'm sure the microwave people didn't think would stick around).
One key question is, does this sort of cynicism hurt the innovation process? To know that your device or idea really won't change the world can be humbling. But isn't it better to be realistic? Truth be told, I'm not sure. A part of me (a big part) is on Dojo's side - I hope they DO change the world.
(And there's no shortage of other contemporary examples. Good heavens, I don't think anything will ever me truly obsolete from this point on. Vinyl records are coming back into fashion, potentially replacing CDs. "Classic" video games are being recycled via subscription services and mobile devices.)
But programmers seem particularly vulnerable to thinking this way. We always seem to think our One True Library/Language/Tool/Whatever will replace everything else because it's Better Cheaper and Prettier. Of course, this is rarely, if ever, the case. Looking back in time, we see that older technology can be supplanted, but it never really goes away. We still have telegraphs; we still have blacksmiths, and horses, and vaccum tubes. Heck, we even have gas ranges (something I'm sure the microwave people didn't think would stick around).
One key question is, does this sort of cynicism hurt the innovation process? To know that your device or idea really won't change the world can be humbling. But isn't it better to be realistic? Truth be told, I'm not sure. A part of me (a big part) is on Dojo's side - I hope they DO change the world.
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