I might want to read an article about a language that is fast in principle due to its specification. But the question that actually matters to me is: do actual implementations of a language's specification exist, that I can use, that are fast? The answer is yes for JS.
Whatever flaws JS clearly has, speed is not one of them. All the widely used implementations of the language are fast compared to similar languages.
I'm unsure why you think it matters that this speed came about due to hundreds of thousands of hours of work spent on optimizing various compiles and interpreters. I never see anyone saying "Boy SQL sure is fast, but only because so many intelligent people spent their careers making it fast, so it doesn't count."
Remember, this little argument started because someone described JavaScript as slow. That claim is incredibly disingenuous. No, JavaScript's speed isn't directly linked to the language spec but...who cares?
Whatever flaws JS clearly has, speed is not one of them. All the widely used implementations of the language are fast compared to similar languages.
I'm unsure why you think it matters that this speed came about due to hundreds of thousands of hours of work spent on optimizing various compiles and interpreters. I never see anyone saying "Boy SQL sure is fast, but only because so many intelligent people spent their careers making it fast, so it doesn't count."
Remember, this little argument started because someone described JavaScript as slow. That claim is incredibly disingenuous. No, JavaScript's speed isn't directly linked to the language spec but...who cares?