Why is Javascript so popular when it's also higly criticized ? Isn't wasm a better alternative ?

Question

It seems to me that Webassembly (wasm) has more adventages than Javascript

Answer 1

Wasm isn't meant to replace javascript but complement and help write high performance apps-- think games, VR.

To even begin to use it, you need to write code in a compiled language then get it compiled to wasm format using the ecmacriptem compiler and target different architecture x86, armv7, armv8, mips in your app. There's also glue code needed to make it work.

Javascript is and will remain the default language. Sure, you can bundle wasm; but is the effort and time worth the gain?

Answer 2

Jason Mackjoo But wasm is also supported by all modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera...etc). And it's even faster.

Answer 3

In general, js is still popular due to its number of contributors and it has been used for decades. It will take time to dislodge js.

Answer 4

Javascript has the ability to produce the same results on all modern browsers