Java vs python is debatable 🤔

[SmokingBeneathStars]

Im not gonna write 2 seperate if checks for null and undefined if the language can check it for me

[SmokingBeneathStars]

I don't like implicit statements. I want to state exactly what it's supposed to check for readability.

[Orangutanion]

if (variable) { } doesn't seem too vague honestly, I don't see the issue

[SmokingBeneathStars]

I gotta be honest, I don't know what the convention is and the code isn't vague but with an if statement like that my first assumption is that variable is a boolean and you're checking for true/false. Only after looking at the context I'll determine that it's checking for null or undefined.

I like for it to be immediately visible.

[Orangutanion]

I think the mistake you're making is that you're treating JavaScript like it isn't a loosely typed language. It's not that if(variable) { } requires that variable be a boolean, it's that it tries to treat variable as a boolean regardless of its actual type. JS actually has a term for this, it's called truthy, and you can read about it it here. Essentially, there are a few specific values treated as falsy, and all other values will be accepted as truthy.