#Self Discovery: Looking for Insight in Javascript’s Esoteric Roots
- Name : Jonathan Mukai-Heidt
- Twitter : @johnnymukai
- Github : johnnymugs
- Website : johnnymukai.com
##Abstract One of the most common gripes about Javascript is its use of prototypes rather than classes. This might explain the abundance of the many tools, patterns, and frameworks that massage it into a more classical OOP model. But are these approaches hammering a prototypal peg into a class-shaped hole? What was happening in the early 90s that made Brendan Eich reach for prototypes rather than classes when designing his new language?
To find out, let’s a take a trip back in time and examine an exciting and very different language that heavily influenced Javascript: Self. Self is an ambitious language that, among other things, introduced prototypal OOP to the programming world. What lessons can we learn from this early pioneer of prototypal languages? Can we write better Javascript by understanding Self’s goals and approach to programming? Let’s explore the ambitions of Self and see if we can suss out the advantages and disadvantages of the prototypal approach and apply what we find to our own Javascript writing.
##Speaker Bio
Jonathan Mukai-Heidt is an anthropologist undercover as a software engineer in NYC's budding start up scene. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three cats.