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I understand the gravitation for languages that compile to javascript, but personally I've really come to enjoy programming JS. One thing that I don't really get is the fact that most compile-to-js languages are seemingly just switching out the syntax and not actually improving what can be done with the language.

The only useful (as in, I would actually use it) project I've come across in this realm is parenscript (http://common-lisp.net/project/parenscript/) which compiles a variant of lisp into javascript. It seems to me the best way to go from language X to JS is to make sure X is actually a better language. From my (admittedly small) experience with CoffeeScript, I haven't really seen much of the benefit, and I tend to NOT like CS syntax. Also, javascript is a superbly powerful language in my experience, and trying to replace it would take some real thought and work.

It seems to me that taking an extremely powerful (and terse) language and compiling it to javascript would be more useful than switching out JS' syntax and adding a few easily-replicable features. Then again, maybe I'm just ignorant.

I don't really see what's to replace, though. JS ain't that bad.



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