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The Birth and Death of JavaScript [video]

www.destroyallsoftware.com Audio, video & images Video Software engineering Class of 2026-06 Hall of Fame
Screenshot of www.destroyallsoftware.com captured 2026-07-20
Page preview · captured 2026-07-20

Resurfaced independently across 10 calendar years, with breakout response in 2 of them.

submissions
27
submitters
23
observed span
2014–2026
peak thread · 227 comments
635 pts
latest 20+ return · 2026-06-14
242 pts

Submission timeline

2007–2026

One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.

First comments on top threads

HN comment order

For those unfamiliar, Gary Bernhardt is the same guy who did the famous "Wat" talk on JavaScript: https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/wat

I love(?) that he absolutely predicted a global disaster between 2020-2025, he just got the wrong type. Which is very JavaScript.

I get more and more excited the closer we get to an eventual reality that a kid learning about programming, operating systems, Linux, etc. is just a click on their phone away from starting it all. No gatekeepers--appstores, sideloading, hacks, jailbreaks, locked down BIOS, etc.--to hold them back. Your browser, a shell, and the entire world in front of you.

An all time classic presentation posing as a mix of comedy and education. The accuracy of his predictions thus far has me worried about whether the war prediction might also be right as well. I think one development that has side-tracked the prediction that "JavaScript will become the most popular language -- and nobody writes JavaScript anymore" is the rise of TypeScript and the additions to ECMAScript added in the interim. Still makes me wonder if an operating system where…

mikece·3-point thread·

The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.

Breakout years
2

100+ points or 50+ comments

Total points
1070

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Total comments
445

reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking

Every submission

DateTitle as submittedByPointsComments
2014-04-17The Birth and Death of JavaScript [video]First breakout · Best threadgary_bernhardt635227
2015-02-26THE BIRTH and DEATH OF JAVASCRIPTanacleto20
2016-02-21The Birth and Death of JavaScript (PyCon 2014)Rexxar30
2016-04-21The Birth and Death of JavaScript [2014]guessmyname20
2016-05-03The Birth and Death of JavaScriptstargrave20
2016-06-13The Birth and Death of JavaScriptmromnia11
2016-10-05The Birth and Death of JavaScriptluu30
2017-03-04The Birth and Death of JavaScript [video]mromnia10
2017-04-07The Birth and Death of JavaScript [video]mromnia10
2018-01-02The Birth and Death of JavaScript [video]xwvvvvwx10
2018-09-26The Birth and Death of JavaScript (2014)tosh10
2019-02-12The Birth and Death of JavaScriptaskari0121
2019-11-28The Birth and Death of JavaScript [video]traverseda10
2021-01-01The Birth and Death of JavaScript (2014)shadowofneptune30
2021-01-20The Birth and Death of JavaScript (PyCon 2014)tosh10
2021-03-02The Birth and Death of JavaScript (2014)colinprince10
2021-03-19The Birth and Death of JavaScriptsigna1110
2021-03-29The Birth and Death of JavaScript (2014)ksec32
2021-04-05The Birth and Death of JavaScriptBluestein11
2021-06-17The Birth and Death of JavaScript (2014) [video]NilsIRL7342
2022-10-11The Birth and Death of JavaScript (2014)simonebrunozzi10
2022-10-21The Birth and Death of JavaScripttester75620
2022-12-02The Birth and Death of JavaScripttraverseda10
2023-01-13The Birth and Death of JavaScript (2014)Tomte10
2023-05-11The Birth and Death of JavaScript (2014)mikece8436
2026-01-30The Birth and Death of JavaScriptjpmitchell11
2026-06-14The Birth and Death of JavaScript (2014)Hall induction · Latest 20+ point returnsubset242134