If you've spent any time in developer circles, you've probably heard JavaScript get roasted. "It's inconsistent!" "The tooling is a nightmare!" "Why does [] + [] = '' but [] + {} = [object Object]?!"
Yet here we are in 2026, and JavaScript is still dominating. It powers everything from your browser to your backend, your mobile apps to your IoT devices. So what gives? Why is the most hated language also the most loved?
Let me break down this love-hate relationship from a CS student's perspective.
The Hate is Real (And Sometimes Justified)
Let's not sugarcoat it—JavaScript has some genuinely weird quirks:
console.log(typeof null); // "object" (this is a bug that can't be fixed)
console.log(0.1 + 0.2 === 0.3); // false
console.log(true + true); // 2 (because why not?)
When I first encountered these, I thought I was losing my mind. Coming from Java or Python, JavaScript felt like the wild west of programming languages.
The ecosystem doesn't help either. Need to build a simple web app? Cool, just choose between React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Solid, Qwik... oh, and pick a bundler (Webpack? Vite? Rollup? esbuild? Turbopack?), a package manager (npm? yarn? pnpm? bun?), and somehow navigate 50,000 dependencies for a "hello world" app.
The callback hell era was legitimately painful:
getData(function(a) {
getMoreData(a, function(b) {
getEvenMoreData(b, function(c) {
getYetMoreData(c, function(d) {
// I've lost track of what I'm doing
});
});
});
});
But Here's Why Developers Actually Love It
1. It's Everywhere
JavaScript runs on literally every platform. Browser? Check. Server with Node.js? Check. Mobile apps with React Native? Check. Desktop apps with Electron? Check. Even embedded systems with Node-RED.
One language, infinite possibilities. That's powerful.
2. The Ecosystem is Massive
Yes, the npm ecosystem is overwhelming. But it's also incredible. Need to solve a problem? There's probably already a package for it. The community has built solutions for almost everything.
3. JavaScript Keeps Getting Better
Remember that callback hell I showed? Here's the modern version:
async function fetchData() {
const a = await getData();
const b = await getMoreData(a);
const c = await getEvenMoreData(b);
const d = await getYetMoreData(c);
return d;
}
Clean, readable, and actually makes sense. JavaScript learned from its mistakes.
Modern features that changed the game:
- ES6+ brought us arrow functions, destructuring, template literals
- Async/await made asynchronous code readable
- Modules finally gave us proper code organization
- Optional chaining and nullish coalescing fixed common pain points
// Old way
const name = user && user.profile && user.profile.name;
// New way
const name = user?.profile?.name;
4. Performance Got Serious
V8 engine optimization, WebAssembly integration, and new runtimes like Bun are making JavaScript genuinely fast. We're not just talking "fast enough for web pages"—we're talking competitive with traditional compiled languages for many workloads.
5. TypeScript Saved JavaScript
Let's be honest: TypeScript fixed JavaScript's biggest weakness. Now you can have the flexibility of JS with the safety of static typing:
interface User {
id: number;
name: string;
email: string;
}
function greetUser(user: User): string {
return `Hello, ${user.name}!`;
}
Type safety, better tooling, fewer runtime errors. TypeScript is JavaScript's redemption arc.
The Real Reason JavaScript Wins
Here's the truth: JavaScript has the lowest barrier to entry for building real things that people actually use.
Want to build something and share it with the world? Open a browser, press F12, start coding. No compiler, no setup, no installation. Just ideas to execution in seconds.
That accessibility created an enormous community. That community built tools, libraries, and frameworks. Those tools made JavaScript even more powerful. It's a virtuous cycle.
What I've Learned as a Student
After building several projects in JavaScript, here's my take:
The hate comes from:
- Legacy design decisions that can't be changed
- The overwhelming pace of change in the ecosystem
- Comparing JavaScript to languages designed for different use cases
The love comes from:
- Actually being able to build and ship things quickly
- A supportive, active community
- Constant improvement and modern features
- Universal platform support
So, Should You Learn JavaScript?
If you want to build things for the web, you don't really have a choice—JavaScript is the only language that runs natively in browsers.
But more importantly, learning JavaScript teaches you to:
- Deal with asynchronous programming
- Navigate a massive ecosystem
- Adapt to rapid change
- Build full-stack applications
- Think about user experience directly
My Advice
Don't fight the quirks, understand them. Those weird behaviors exist for historical reasons. Learn them once, move on.
Start with modern JavaScript. Don't torture yourself with old tutorials. Learn ES6+, async/await, and modern tooling from day one.
Use TypeScript for anything serious. Your future self will thank you.
Don't get overwhelmed by the ecosystem. Pick one framework, one tool chain, master it. You can explore others later.
Build stuff. The best way to appreciate JavaScript is to actually create something useful with it.
The Bottom Line
JavaScript isn't perfect. No language is. But it's evolved from a hastily-created browser scripting language into a serious, versatile platform that powers the modern web and beyond.
The hate? It's often nostalgia for problems that have been solved, or frustration with the learning curve. The love? It comes from actually building things and appreciating what JavaScript enables.
So yeah, JavaScript is still everyone's favorite punching bag. But it's also the tool that's probably running on the device you're reading this on right now. And that's kind of amazing.
Been coding in JavaScript for a while now, and honestly? The language that once frustrated me is now the one I reach for first. What's your JavaScript journey been like? Would love to hear from fellow developers navigating this beautiful mess. 🚀
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