Browser JavaScript Alternatives

The cluster discusses frustrations with JavaScript's dominance in web browsers and advocates for alternatives like other languages, virtual machines, bytecodes, or native code execution to enhance flexibility and performance.

📉 Falling 0.5x Web Development
4,043
Comments
20
Years Active
5
Top Authors
#4658
Topic ID

Activity Over Time

2007
11
2008
39
2009
65
2010
167
2011
230
2012
286
2013
434
2014
258
2015
336
2016
212
2017
238
2018
175
2019
183
2020
219
2021
246
2022
269
2023
220
2024
217
2025
224
2026
14

Keywords

JIT JS ARM ocallahan.org WASM WebBrowser LLVM VM ONLY CLR browser javascript browsers language js bytecode vm python native web browsers

Sample Comments

xxs • Jan 28, 2022 • View on HN

you can make a browser - but it won't have a JIT for javascript, rendering it useless.

jimbob45 • Jun 21, 2020 • View on HN

Is there a reason we can ONLY use JavaScript in the browser? The world would immediately become better if we added a different language compiler on in instead.

roarroar • Oct 2, 2013 • View on HN

Too bad. The browser is becoming general purpose with asm.js, WebGL etc. You can't hold back progress.

fleaaaa • Oct 7, 2021 • View on HN

Wish the same thing as an webdev, but modern browser is almost a small vm these days..

popcalc • Jul 23, 2024 • View on HN

Philosophically opposed to the browser as a code execution platform.

marcosdumay • Oct 23, 2018 • View on HN

Because JS runs on the browser, so anything else is less portable.

colordrops • Apr 29, 2017 • View on HN

Why does it matter if it's in your browser or not? The browser is just a fancy runtime.

fungos • Jan 11, 2016 • View on HN

Good thing browsers aren't written in javascript.

disqard • May 29, 2024 • View on HN

Does this contain a JS interpreter, or is it a cross-platform wrapper around OS-provided browser libraries?

chrisrodrigue • Apr 28, 2025 • View on HN

Web browsers are just glorified JavaScript interpreters. Making Python a first-class citizen in the browser would be sweet.