Google App Engine launched this week and one controversial aspect was that it only works for Python. It wasn’t a big deal to me. Firstly, it’s a good way for Google to limit the initial market. Secondly, Google specialises in Python and not Ruby – quoth Yegge: “One of the fences in this big playground is your choice of programming language. You have to play inside the fence defined by C++, Java, Python, and JavaScript.” After all, Google has Guido but not Matz or DHH. (I wonder how many times someone has asked that guy if he’d consider a position at Google!) Thirdly, who cares? Do you really think it will stay Python-only for long? Heavens to Murgatroyd!!!
Dion’s take (read his post for the full detail):
Anyway, I have a dream and surprisingly it doesn’t involve Ruby and unsurprisingly it does involve the magic bullet that is server-side Javascript.
How cool would it be if Google bought Aptana or AppJet – or did their own work with Jaxer or Rhino – and made a robust, elastic, server-side Javascript platform? Then roll in Rhino and Rails, hopefully reworked from Rails considerably to take into account the synergies delivered by dual-side Javascript. Backed by BigTable of course!
That’s the tipping point right there!
2 responses so far ↓
1 Hoorah for Aptana Cloud // Apr 28, 2008 at 11:09 pm
[...] Hakman got in contact with me after the Javascript Grid article and kindly offered to let me review the beta, which is still on the cards, so I’ll let you [...]
2 Meeting with Aptana’s Kevin Hakman // Apr 9, 2009 at 10:54 pm
[...] readers of this blog will know I am a big fan of Javascript on the server. Through its Jaxer project, Aptana has been at the forefront of the server-side [...]
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