The Future of Javascript


November 12, 2008


Douglas Crockford




Unexpectedly, JavaScript has become one of the world’s most popular programming language while still remaining one of the world’s most misunderstood. What does the future hold for this much maligned and deeply flawed language? What can it teach us about the process of standards evolution? Can JavaScript ever become respected? Will JavaScript ultimately save the world?


Douglas Crockford

Douglas Crockford was born in the wilds of Minnesota, but left when he was only six months old because it was just too damn cold. He turned his back on a promising career in television when he discovered computers. He has worked in learning systems, small business systems, office automation, games, interactive music, multimedia, location-based entertainment, social systems, and programming languages. He is the inventor of Tilton, the ugliest programming language that was not specifically designed to be an ugly programming language. He is best known for having discovered that there are good parts in JavaScript. This was an important and unexpected discovery. He discovered the JSON Data Interchange Format. He is currently working on making the web a secure and reliable software delivery platform. He has his work cut out for him.