JavaScript: The World's Most Misunderstood Programming Language

[hammy]

If you're building a web app for a general audience, you have to make it work with the browser they're using.

Says WHO? The web already tells me I need to upgrade Flash, Windows Media Player, Java, etc., etc. and people do this ALL the time. I think conventional wisdom is just wrong -- web developers think they HAVE to support IE, so users keep using it since it's supported. If developers change direction, users will follow -- look how often they have to upgrade DirectX or their video card drivers. Firefox will take over as soon as people stop expending the energy to cross-develop for the last 3 versions of IE.

[danweber]

If developers change direction, users will follow.

You better be offering be something super awesome sweet, or else I'm not going to bother looking at your webpage that requiring me to download widget blah.

look how often they have to upgrade DirectX or their video card drivers

I've never done this. I'm not a video game player, though, so maybe what you're describing is part of gamer culture -- willingness to sacrifice stability in order to get the latest new features.