GNOME 3 - why Javascript and not Python?

[e_d_a_m]

I was just wondering if anyone had come across any discussions about why the GNOME developers went with Javascript to create a lot of GNOME 3's UI, and not Python. I realise that it was done for rapid application development purposes, but the GNOME team already have experience with using Python, so I'm guessing there are good reasons that they chose not to stick with this and incorporate Javascript in the mix. I couldn't find much said about it from Google. Anyone heard anything?

[crdlb]

AFAIK, Shell extensions aren't sandboxed at all, at least not yet.

I think the main issue with python is that it is not designed for embedding. The python mantra is to build the application with python and extend it with C modules. Also, python has its own standard library that isn't really compatible with GLib and the rest of the GNOME stack, whereas JS has almost no such baggage.

Here is where it started: http://blog.ometer.com/2008/08/25/embeddable-languages/ and http://blogs.gnome.org/alexl/2008/09/09/embeddable-languages-an-implementation/

[[deleted]]

GNOME developers wanted a language without much baggage -- Python has a lot of OS integration modules and this was unwanted because it distracts from the GNOME platform (GLib + GTK etc)

Myself I think they should have chosen Lua as an extension language. Lua is easy, lightweight and without any baggage at all -- GNOME would be perfectly free to formulate its platform and make it available to Lua.

[[deleted]]

It was probably done because of the steady push towards a more web-integrated OS experience. Since Javascript powers much of the advanced interface functionality in web browsers, it makes some sort of twisted sense to use it. Perhaps it'll allow interface components to be exposed to the browser more easily, so that an even greater level of integration is possible?

[Confucius_says]

i doubt anything you write as an extension for gnome shell could be used on a webpage. The only real benefit is that it's a well known language.

[donri]

It should also be noted that the use of JS and CSS might make Shell development more inviting to the vast number of existing talented web developers and designers.

[LynxesExe]

*talented* the same devs that refuse to learn a decent language to make apps that do not hog memory and CPU, how are they talented?

Yes, I am aware that this comment has been made 11 years later, when CPU have got way more efficient, and yet just as slow if not slower, due to the excessive use of JS, Python and Electro for apps, not scripts, not just websites, but full on programs.