a) does line-for-line output so it's easier to debug b) can handle normal JavaScript, so it melds with existing code c) progressive enhancement, adopt features at your own pace d) the option to shadow variables using var e) declared function support

AFAIK the creator did work on CoffeeScript for a while but decided to go in a different direction.

There are plenty of different alternative JavaScript dialects out there, from new ones like Kaffeine to ports of popular languages. http://altjs.org/

Good points. Although, the semi-colon insertion is only partial... it mops up the edge cases where JS doesn't usually insert them (such as if a ( appears after a block or group on a previous line). It's made specifically for people who do "normal" (aka K&R) style JavaScripting and want to get rid of semi-colons altogether, but can't usually because of the annoying exceptions.

People who are interested in the future of JavaScript ought to check these out:

http://groups.google.com/group/altjs

irc://irc.freenode.net/altjs

http://altjs.org/ (credit given)

It's only new, but it's an attempt to draw a circle around the movement without being biased towards promoting any one brand or language.

I love the animation on this! And apparently it was actually controlled on the conference participants' screens using a live message queue connecting the presenters' machine to theirs. Awesome.

AS3 is based on ECMAScript 4, which was expected to become the new standard many years ago but became a dead-end after the ECMAScript committee abandoned it. That's why there's no "4" anymore between ES3.5 and ES5... ActionScript is it.

What do you mean by "if you don't need the real-time element"?

I mean that if you're building a typical web app that uses the request/response cycle rather than requiring real time push from the server using Comet or WebSockets, Akshell, with it's synchronous I/O, should be easier to work with.

Oh, I see. So it works as normal it just doesn't have server push yet. Gotcha.

NowJS looks pretty interesting. From monitoring the IRC room maybe some of the common use cases could be better documented but it seems like it's run by a great group of guys.

Thanks for the feedback. In the next two weeks, you'll see a better Demos page (common uses/examples w/ sourcecode) and better Documentation page.

I think "killing" is probably an overstatement, but your idea has merit. Look at Apple's supposedly iron-clad Human Interface Guidelines, they were intended to create a similar kind of homogenised experience as well but Apple continuously challenges them because they're just too stifling.

Harmonisation and consistency is important, but there is such a thing as monotony.

i guess i was thinking about what they could do if they did not stifle their apps to fit some kind of unified design specification. 'killing' is supposed to reflect where i think they could be without following their own guidelines. Though apple sticks to design strategies and guidelines, there is much more flexibility, ie. when i use iphoto i dont feel like i am using itunes. whereas with google gmail feels like google.com, which feels like the rss reader, which feels like analytics.. and in my experience, i never really know where i am in google world. I know i am there, but i make mistakes because its all just generic space.

I like the fact that it's thought provoking without being a blatant hit-whoring attempt. I mean, hardly anything in there is really "controversial"... it's more like just an interesting analysis of the branding of NoSQL and why it affects people so much.