WebAssembly And The Future of JavaScript
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JavaScript brought interactivity to the web more than 20 years ago, and despite numerous challengers, it is still the only language supported by browser. However, as those 20 years have passed we've moved from adding a little interactivity to largely static sites, to creating complex JavaScript-heavy single page applications. Throughout this journey, the way we use JavaScript itself has also changed. Gone are the days of writing simple code snippets that are run directly in the browser. Nowadays you transpile, minify, tree-shake and more, treating the JavaScript virtual machine as a compilation target.
The problem is, JavaScript isn't a very good compilation target, because it simply wasn't designed to be one. Born out of asm.js, a somewhat crazy concept dreamt up by Mozilla, WebAssembly was designed from the ground-up as an efficient compilation target for the web. It promises smaller payloads, rapid parsing and validation and consistent performance... and it's ready to use, right now! During this talk you will learn about what's wrong with the way you are using JavaScript today and why you need WebAssembly. It will delve into the internals, giving a quick tour of the WebAssembly instruction set, memory and security model, before moving on to the more practical aspects of using it with Rust, C++ and JavaScript. Finally you'll do some crystal-ball gazing and see what the future of this rapidly evolving technology might hold.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
- From monoliths to components with D3 (SkillsCast recorded in September 2015)
- Damjan Vujnovic's Angular Workshop (in London on 3rd - 5th July 2019)
- Damjan Vujnovic's Advanced JavaScript Workshop (in London on 15th - 17th July 2019)
- FullStack London 2019 - The Conference on JavaScript, Node & Internet of Things (in London on 10th - 12th July 2019)
- FullStack NYC 2020 - The Conference on JavaScript, Node & Internet of Things (in New York on 14th - 15th May 2020)
- London TensorFlow.js (in London on 20th June 2019)
- Keynote by Bruce Lawson on How To Make Loveliness: an HTML Treasure Hunt (in London on 24th June 2019)
- Frontend Series (SkillsCast recorded in June 2019)
- Keynote: Tales of the Obsession of Unfinished Projects (SkillsCast recorded in May 2019)
Thanks to our sponsors
WebAssembly And The Future of JavaScript
Colin Eberhardt
Colin's business card says 'Technology Director' and he works at a UK-based software consultancy, however, he thinks of himself as a technology enthusiast. Colin has been working in software for many years, and has never stopped exploring, learning and creating. He writes a lot, speak a lot and code a lot. He likes telling stories, he likes his presentations to have a narrative. He likes people to feel educated, but more than anything else, he wants them to just enjoy it and have fun.
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SkillsCast
Please log in to watch this conference skillscast.
JavaScript brought interactivity to the web more than 20 years ago, and despite numerous challengers, it is still the only language supported by browser. However, as those 20 years have passed we've moved from adding a little interactivity to largely static sites, to creating complex JavaScript-heavy single page applications. Throughout this journey, the way we use JavaScript itself has also changed. Gone are the days of writing simple code snippets that are run directly in the browser. Nowadays you transpile, minify, tree-shake and more, treating the JavaScript virtual machine as a compilation target.
The problem is, JavaScript isn't a very good compilation target, because it simply wasn't designed to be one. Born out of asm.js, a somewhat crazy concept dreamt up by Mozilla, WebAssembly was designed from the ground-up as an efficient compilation target for the web. It promises smaller payloads, rapid parsing and validation and consistent performance... and it's ready to use, right now! During this talk you will learn about what's wrong with the way you are using JavaScript today and why you need WebAssembly. It will delve into the internals, giving a quick tour of the WebAssembly instruction set, memory and security model, before moving on to the more practical aspects of using it with Rust, C++ and JavaScript. Finally you'll do some crystal-ball gazing and see what the future of this rapidly evolving technology might hold.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
- From monoliths to components with D3 (SkillsCast recorded in September 2015)
- Damjan Vujnovic's Angular Workshop (in London on 3rd - 5th July 2019)
- Damjan Vujnovic's Advanced JavaScript Workshop (in London on 15th - 17th July 2019)
- FullStack London 2019 - The Conference on JavaScript, Node & Internet of Things (in London on 10th - 12th July 2019)
- FullStack NYC 2020 - The Conference on JavaScript, Node & Internet of Things (in New York on 14th - 15th May 2020)
- London TensorFlow.js (in London on 20th June 2019)
- Keynote by Bruce Lawson on How To Make Loveliness: an HTML Treasure Hunt (in London on 24th June 2019)
- Frontend Series (SkillsCast recorded in June 2019)
- Keynote: Tales of the Obsession of Unfinished Projects (SkillsCast recorded in May 2019)
Thanks to our sponsors
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About the Speaker
WebAssembly And The Future of JavaScript
Colin Eberhardt
Colin's business card says 'Technology Director' and he works at a UK-based software consultancy, however, he thinks of himself as a technology enthusiast. Colin has been working in software for many years, and has never stopped exploring, learning and creating. He writes a lot, speak a lot and code a lot. He likes telling stories, he likes his presentations to have a narrative. He likes people to feel educated, but more than anything else, he wants them to just enjoy it and have fun.