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Ask HN: What else can JavaScript be used for?

1 points by webguyian ↗ HN
Coming from the web development field, I'm interested in what other areas JavaScript is being used in. I know there have been applications in art, education, games, and robotics. I started compiling a list of different uses for JavaScript. [0] What am I missing?

[0] https://github.com/webguyian/javascript-uses

5 comments

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blowski
I don't really understand the question. It's a programming language and it can be used to do things that programming languages can do.

So to say it can 'do' education seems to be a strange comment. It can be used to write programs that help with education, and you can use it as a language to teach programming - but both of those things are true of Python, PHP, Lisp, Java, etc.

mtmail
Have to agree. It might be better to assume it can be used everywhere and then come up with a list of limitations (which are sometimes overcome by other software e.g. nodejs for file-system access).
webguyian
I understand that most, if not all, of the things I listed can be applied to programming languages in general. I am interested in learning what other fields I can apply my knowledge of JavaScript in. Of course, I could build a website or an app for any field, but to me the medium is different if I were using JS for game development vs. for programming a NodeBot. Maybe it is more a question of the limitations of the language...
blowski
The language is a tool, not an objective. My suggestion would be to take a project you've already built in JavaScript and rewrite it in Io (another prototype-based language), because it will teach you to separate the problem from the solution.

Beyond that, find a problem, fall in love with it, become obsessed by it, and look for ways to solve it.

webguyian
Beyond that, find a problem, fall in love with it, become obsessed by it, and look for ways to solve it.

Great advice. I'll get on that. Thank you.