Leaving Python for JavaScript

Re:Leaving Python for JavaScript by crimsonalucard on Friday August 25, 2017 @02:17PM (#15100851)

It's true js is better with anonymous functions. But the design of js (node esp.) requires you to constantly pass these callbacks to do async. Critics of JS are basically claiming that a programming style that overuses anonymous functions as parameters into other functions leads to unreadable and overcomplicated code... hence why python restricts anonymous functions from being over one line long.

Typically in programming you don't often encounter the need to pass a multiline anonymous function into another function, it leads to confusing code. Async/await gets rid of this bs all together which is the pythonic way to do async.

btw pythonic code for maps or filters is to use list comprehensions so

doubled = [x2 for x in nums]

or if you want to use a anon function:

doubled = [(lambda y: y2)(x) for x in nums]

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Re:Leaving Python for JavaScript by mcluck on Friday August 25, 2017 @02:58PM (#15101198)

I'd say that anyone who's complaining about callback hell isn't up-to-date with the JS world. Promises have fixed this problem and, as you pointed out, async/await make it even nicer.

In my experience (I write mostly JS but also a lot of C# and, not as much, Rust), passing functions around is very easy to read and reason about. Functional programming "Just Makes Sense™" to me. I think it's just an exposure thing. Many people find Python's significant whitespace cleaner. I disagree but I promise you it's because I haven't spend much time with it. If I wrote a lot more Python, I'd probably grow to like it.

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Re:Leaving Python for JavaScript by crimsonalucard on Friday August 25, 2017 @05:46PM (#15102490)

First off, you aren't doing functional programming when you have first class functions or if you use HO functions like map and reduce. Those concepts can exist in imperative programs. The only concept that makes a program functional is immutability. That's it. Functional programming does not make sense to you if you don't understand this.

>I'd say that anyone who's complaining about callback hell isn't up-to-date with the JS world. Promises have fixed this problem and, as you pointed out, async/await make it even nicer.

The latest node api still uses callbacks. Promises haven't fixed this problem, it's just a bandaid on stab wound. Async/await is the proper way to deal with this problem and python supports it so there's no upside for node in this area.

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Re:Leaving Python for JavaScript by pseudalopex on Friday August 25, 2017 @05:03PM (#15102237)

Passing around functions is great, but it's easier to read and reason about when the functions have names. I see a lot of complex/nested anonymous functions in JavaScript code, even with promises.

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