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Comment by quaunaut

11 years ago

...Okay, normally I roll my eyes at people asking "What does this do" but Christ this is ridiculous.

From the FAQ:

> What is io.js?

> io.js is a JavaScript platform that is compatable with Node.js & npm.

What does that even mean?

Edit: Thanks for those answering. I started figuring out what it was, but sometimes folks really need to learn that "A correct definition" is not the same as "a useful definition". However, if it's as cool as described, definitely might give it a shot.

Edit2: Is this expected to be as stable as Node.js consistently? And how solid is the upgrade path- is it going to be a pain upgrading between versions the way Node used to be, or is there a smoother upgrade process? I guess what I'm wondering is, do I get any benefit from using this right now, or would it be smart to still wait for whatever version they consider release quality?

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quaunaut

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mintplant  11 years ago

It's a fork of node.js with ES6 support. The goal is a faster release cycle and an updated V8 engine, plus an "open governance model" as opposed to Joyent's domination of node.js prime.

https://github.com/iojs/io.js

    Current Project Team Members
    ============================

    Isaac Z. Schlueter
    Ben Noordhuis
    Bert Belder
    Fedor Indutny
    Trevor Norris
    Chris Dickinson
    Colin Ihrig
    Mikeal Rogers
    Rod Vagg

  • otikik  11 years ago

    > It's a fork of node.js with ES6 support. The goal is a faster release cycle and an updated V8 engine, plus an "open governance model" as opposed to Joyent's domination of node.js prime.

    For the record, I believe that's what should be written as the first answer on the FAQ (and maybe on the site's index.hml). The current one is atrocious.

  • mqzaidi  11 years ago

    For a comparison, node.js contributors are (http://nodejs.org/about/core-team/)

    TJ Fontaine Alexis Campailla Fedor Indutny Trevor Norris Nathan Rajlich

    Rather strange to see Fedor as a core team member in both projects, or at least one of them (likely node.js page) is out of date.

    • spion  11 years ago

      Its not strange, most of the people involved are core members of both projects. Its the same project, really. Its just that iojs actually has new releases, and node doesn't anymore.

      Yes I know, I need to add `s/anymore/yet`. But the statement is pretty much accurate. Its been almost 2 years since 0.11.0 was released and 0.12 is nowhere in sight.

  • tootie  11 years ago

    Are node/io permanently joined to V8? I know that Oracle has been putting some effort into getting Avatar.js to be fully compatible with node and run on the JVM, but it isn't gaining much traction.

  • silversupreme  11 years ago

    I find Ben's inclusion on this list interesting, given his history with Joyent/the node community.

    • nevi-me  11 years ago

      Even though he stopped being part of core, he has remained active in Node.js development. It's part of his job at StrongLoop I suppose. A fresh start with an open governance model at least should mean that most politics are set aside.

      4 replies →

    • jbergstroem  11 years ago

      The fact that opinions like these are still a thing says more about the opinion than his commitment to the node/io/libuv community. edit: obvious commit statistics below/above.

elisee  11 years ago

io.js is a fork/continuation of Node.js "unstable" 0.11.x branch. Node.js stable, under Joyent's stewardship, has been stuck in 0.10.x land for over a year.

io.js has many of the top core Node.js contributors. They're trying to move server-side JavaScript forward with open governance, faster release cycles, ES6, etc.

  • zamalek  11 years ago

    > io.js is a fork/continuation of Node.js

    Thanks.

    That website needs serious work in terms of wording. Absolutely zero information on the website apart from the extremely vague tagline. I clicked a few links and all I could find was politics. Without the context given on HN I would still be wondering:

    Is it a node.js replacement? Is it a NPM replacement? Is it a dog? Is it a cat? Can I eat it?

    Even you want to sell something to people (even if that something is free as in beer) they need to know what that something is, first.

    • rpwverheij  11 years ago

      completely agree. I didn't even get it was a node replacement. A spork of node? What is that? I might be missing some tech vocabulary, or just some native-english understanding. But the wording could be much more clear.

  • frik  11 years ago

    It will be interesting what Joyent will do with its 0.11 unstable branch and how popular io.js will get.

davesque  11 years ago

Agree...couldn't find a clear explanation anywhere within several clicks of the home page. If it's a fork of node.js with ES6 support, as people are saying, they should put that on the front page or at the top of the FAQ section or on the front page of the documentation.

  • askmike  11 years ago

    It's more than that: a lot of people who made node.js to what it is are now working on io.js.

    It's more like a new version of node with a different name to circumvent trademark issues.

fergie  11 years ago

io.js is a program that makes JavaScript run on a server.

io.js is a fork of node.js but is "better" because:

1) io.js always uses the latest JavaScript engine.

2) io.js is not controlled by private interests.

monkey_slap  11 years ago

I still cannot figure out what this actually is besides Javascript