✳flâneur — a map of the web's best reading

Why can't I write code inside my browser?

tomcritchlow.com · 781 words · saved by 1 readers

I’ve been playing with the web and code for years now and still feel like I’m an outsider to the “code club”. An incomplete list of things I’ve tried and failed to do: Meanwhile, things I do regularly: Increasingly there’s a disconnect between the kinds of activities code enables and the “expected” workflow for “being a coder”. Meanwhile - there’s been a kind of revolution around coding. “Javascript everywhere” (i.e. node.js) has really become the default web-development paradigm. Javascript is alluring - partly because every computer has a javascript GUI and runtime - the browser! You can code in javascript on your computer using a text editor and a browser - without ever touching the command line! But… on installing node.js you’re greeted with this screen (wtf is user/local/bin in $path?), and left to fire up the command line. Ok, once again. I can write code inside my spreadsheet but not inside my browser? WTF. Here’s my pitch: build a browser that comes pre-installed with node.js,

Why can't I write code inside my browser? TOM CRITCHLOW TOM CRITCHLOW Home About me Writing Library Newsletter Search Projects My Book AI Search Leaders Elsewhere Twitter LinkedIn Are.na January 14, 2021 Why can't I write code inside my browser? Notes on rethinking browsers So I can write code inside my spreadsheet, but not inside my browser? WTF. Ok, let’s back up. Coding is too hard. I’ve been playing with the web and code for years now and still feel like I’m an outsider to the “code club”. An incomplete list of things I’ve tried and failed to do: Failed to install node Failed to install pi

Explore this link on the map →

related reading