JavaScript is one of my preferred programming languages. It’s thin, flexible, yet you can create really complex stuff with it. So any news about JavaScript 2.0 is an important one, moreover when it’s Brendan Eich (the creator of JavaScript) who talks about it:

http://developer.mozilla.org/presentations/xtech2006/javascript/

Somehow, however, seeing those slides I got the feeling that JavaScript 2.0 will look more like Java than previously. Which is a good and a bad thing simultaneously. Having stronger language constructions can make slightly more difficult to craft applications from scratch; on the other side, it can make JavaScript code more maintainable. There’s a tradeoff between maintainability and readability on one side, and coolness and speed of creation on the other. The current version of JavaScript, in my opinion, brings a balance between all these options.

Will JavaScript 2.0 be the language of Web 2.0? Without any doubt. Will I like it? Now that’s another problem. Programming means having fun. If the language brings more verbosity, or makes things more difficult, it can stop the fun. And that’s not good for a popular programming language.

Update: here’s a nice paper showing the rationale behind JavaScript 2.0. (local copy if the remote link is unavailable)