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Design by committee usually has a bad connotation but when it comes to specifying JavaScript, making sure a new feature doesn’t break the internet is just too big a task for one person. Today on the show we invite Mark Cohen to talk about what it is like being on the board of TC39, the institution which standardizes the JavaScript language under the ECMAScript specification. We kick things off with some history behind TC39 before diving right into some of the debates around how to implement new features within the committee and the larger JavaScript community. From there, Mark weighs in on the main goal of TC39, that of ensuring cross-browser functionality, talking about why it is such a challenging but necessary project. We also speak to Mark about their current focus of championing the move toward pattern matching in JavaScript, getting into some of the ideas being bounced around as far as syntax and all the possibilities this feature will enable. Our discussion doesn’t end there though, as we pick Mark’s brain about the processes the TC39 follows for seeing a proposal through from idea to implementation, and also hear about how they adhere to the ‘don’t break the web’ principle. So for all this and more on Enjoy the Vue, tune in today!
Key Points From This Episode:
Tweetables:
“The primary charter of the committee is to make sure that things work across browsers.” — @mpcsh_ [0:22:12]
“Companies still want control of the web and control of the users of the web, right? But there's a lot more protection now. One of the big invisible ways that this happens is a tool that the committee maintains called test 262.” — @mpcsh_ [0:25:30]
“I'm championing the pattern matching proposal.” — @mpcsh_ [0:27:29]
“So that phrase, 'don't break the web’ is a common refrain among the committee. It basically reflects our infinite backwards compatibility mandate.” — @mpcsh_ [0:46:33]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
TC39 resources:
Proposals:
Ecma International
test262, TC39 (GitHub)
Walrus Operator
What is Rust's turbofish?, David Pedersen
State of JS
SmooshGate FAQs, Mathias Bynens
Where to Find Mark Online:
This weeks picks:
Mark Cohen
Alex
Ari
Oscar
Tessa
Support Enjoy the Vue
Episode 93: Hiatus
Episode 92: (Un)breaking JavaScript with Yulia Startsev
Episode 91: Inside the Mind of a Side-Project Creative with Jacob Schatz
Episode 90: You Wouldn't Mock a Python: Mocking Data for Vue Applicationss
Episode 89: The Arisode
Episode 88: Learning in Public about Learning in Public with Gift Egwuenu
Episode 87: Flying Solo on the Front End of Despair
Episode 86: Our Oscar Award-Winning Episode
Episode 84: Six Seasons and a Movie: Reflections on Community
Episode 83: Tools, Technical Writing, & You with Ben Goddard
Episode 82: The Post-FAANG Job Hunt with Jenny Lee
Episode 81: Advanced CSS 101 with Josh Comeau
Episode 80: Opting into the Composition API with Oscar Spencer
Episode 79: Did You Enjoy the Vue, Ash?
Episode 78: setTimeout(newEpisode)
Episode 77: Enjoy the Petite Vue with Dave Rupert
Episode 76: Enjoy the Interview with Laurie Barth
Episode 75: Enjoy the Mew: Healing Community Paper Cuts with Jason Etcovitch
Episode 74: Building a Mental Health Startup as an Early Career Dev with Rahat Chowdhury
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