Dart is a new type of client-side programming language to compete or potentially replace JavaScript. And, as I snicker with doubt on the prospect of any language on client-side trying to replace the dominance of JavaScript and the potential culpable replacements, I can only hazard at how miserably they will fail. Along came VBScript and with a quick demise. Henceforth, a new language has developed and entered the periphery called Dart. This language has been under the auspicious development at Google. The developers at Google have even admitted and rejected the idea of Dart as a replacement for JavaScript. Well, what are the goals of such a new language in prospect.
"Create a structured yet flexible programming language for the web". Aren't there already plenty of structured and flexible programming languages out there for the web?
"Make Dart feel familiar and natural to programmers and thus easy to learn" If that is the case then isn't it always a drag to learn a new language? If the language is so familiar why not improve on the existing languages that programmers are so familiar with and put effort in improving them with the open source community?
"Make Dart appropriate for the full range of devices". If it is such a fragmented market for mobiles, why fragment it further by creating another language? Going further, why setup separate tools just to support another language on a platform. It seems to me more like a wasted effort towards attaining simplicity by making things more complicated.
"Provide tools that make Dart run fast across all major modern browsers". Here again it seems just to support the language there has to be so many other tools to develop around it. Further complexity and fragmentation.
Dart appears to also be a replacement to GWT. Some of the developers on GWT project migrated to the Dart project. It seems like to improve the scripting one will obviously need to access JavaScript from time to time even while using Dart. If one already knows JavaScript, why create
another layer of compiler complexity. JavaScript is almost ubiquitous and everywhere, even with its undulating quirks. It can be found on desktops, web, to mobile devices. Anyone, that tries to even hinder at the prospect of replacing such a language would need to convince the world about such an action for which adoption will be extremely slow perhaps even openly rejected by many. As the HTML5 emerges so has the mere importance of JavaScript and the many libraries that are brewing over the web. HTML5 has even relegated Flash/ActionScript to a certain degree especially for the mobile. Almost all web browsers support JavaScript today. Although, Google can be applauded for the continuous effort towards innovation and rediscovery. One cannot but wonder whether Dart will also be another Google project brushed aside by the large open community and business decision eventually meaning its demise.
