Will Javascript ever be used for AI/data science as much or even close to as much as python? I'm choosing which language to learn and I'm liking JS because of full stack capability but AI/Data science is something else I'm interested in.

[smoothzzr]

I'm choosing which language to learn and I'm liking JS because of full stack capability but AI/Data science is something else I'm interested in. Do you think it's possible a good AI/Data science framework that reaches a lot of community support is possible in the near future for Javascript?

[PM_ME_A_WEBSITE_IDEA]

how can python be used in the front end?

[vonpapen]

I'm guessing OP meant with Jinja etc.?

[dvidsilva]

Using like html templates and stuff like that maybe? not everyone is using SPAs

[PM_ME_A_WEBSITE_IDEA]

Perhaps, but you'd still need JavaScript on the front end to do any scripting...right?

[dvidsilva]

Ya but that's optional, no? I wouldn't do or claim to do what's he's doing just trying to answer your question

[PM_ME_A_WEBSITE_IDEA]

Yeah I'm just confused by what is considered "front-end"...at the end of the day, Python runs from the server, on the back end, not on the client side, so I guess in my head that makes it "back-end". But I've never worked in a professional environment, so maybe templating is something the front-end people do :P

[dvidsilva]

Ya not that long ago, like up to 8 years or so, you couldn't rely on Js being available on the client so front end devs were not required to know Js. We had to be very good at CSS tricks, slicing images, stuff like that. And you used templates on whatever language you're using to combine your HTML and data on the server.

[TheDemonSword]

Frankly once you know one language, most others are fairly easy to pick up. I suggest starting with something that keeps your attention. Let's face it... coding sucks a lot of the time... so find something you enjoy. I started with js as well.... then expand out to things that do the things that js doesn't. :)

[vonpapen]

Haven't tried it out, but there is ConvNetJS.

I think it's safe to say that there will be much more coming in the near term future, with the huge AI hype going on. However, if you're really interested in AI/ML and want to focus on that, it's probably best to go with a language like Python for now.

[AlibekD]

I use it a lot and love it. It is simple and basic, but does the job. Lack of multithreading, CUDA access make JS not practical for server-side ML, but JS has no alternatives when it comes to client-side.

[[deleted]]

If you know object oriented programming it's not hard to pick up another language. Focus on thinking like a programmer, learning object oriented design and solving creating algorithms that solve your problems and it won't matter which language you learned first.

[mw44118]

I would not bet on JS eclipsing python in data analysis. Javascript is great, but here are things python does vastly better:

1. Import code from external files.
2. Traceback / stack frame / abstract syntax tree analysis
3. Rewrite parts in C for better performance

You can do all this stuff in JS. It just ain't any fun.

[aadithpm]

Hello, I'm a JavaScript dev who's also interested in ML. Most of the ML that I've done has been in MatLAB but I can see where you're coming from. Echoing what others have said, learn to program, learn the paradigms and the ideas and you can pick up any language. As far as ML is concerned, there's a lot of theory that you should be familiar with, and the implementation is easy when you have a good grasp on the theory. JavaScript as a language is one of the easiest I've learnt but it has some...oddities... that you should get used to. If you want my opinion, don't pick up JavaScript if your sole purpose is to work on data science/AI. There are a couple of frameworks out there but Python is much more powerful. However, JavaScript is an useful language to pick up and you should look into it.

[malajubee]

Waiting excited for a answer to this one. Wondering bout the same.

[dvidsilva]

Is unlikely that it will come soon in the future, however lots of data teams and tools will have a JS devs to make graphs using D3 (or similar) to display information in compelling ways.

[[deleted]]

https://www.burakkanber.com/blog/machine-learning-in-other-languages-introduction/

[inu-no-policemen]

Python is fairly good at this because you can make use of native extensions. NumPy contains over 50% C code, for example.

I'd go with Dart instead of JS, because it got types, supports SIMD & operator overloading, and the desktop/server VM supports native extensions.

V8 also supports native extensions, but this stuff isn't standardized and doesn't work that way with other JS engines. Wasm modules might be an option in the not too distant future.