A Good Fit for the Internet of things (IoT): JavaScript
Love it or hate it but JavaScript is a popular programming language for many developers because it is quick and easy to learn. Plus if you are a web developer then it is mandatory to have a working knowledge of JavaScript. JavaScript emerged as the programming language to create web pages which is similar to the syntax similar to C but it also played a major role in commercial software development. The JavaScript Standard Object Notation has changed data interchange format as a strict subset of JavaScript. JavaScript is broadly used in web pages, web servers, mobile apps, and IoT systems.
What makes JavaScript great for IoT ?
#1 Event-driven memory management
JavaScript is good at event-driven applications as every device takes various other events and responds to concerned events. You can also run numerous tasks without waiting for other tasks to complete by event loops in JavaScript which helps in responding to events in real time, handling multiple tasks parallels and allowing multiple devices to respond to the same event. This allows saving precious battery power to a great extent.
JavaScript contains a garbage collector which free up the memory after allocation. It automatically allocates and DE allocates the memory management thus leaving no worries on the user to free up the memory explicitly. Garbage collector running often has an adverse effect on the performance and so this can be avoided with the JavaScript programming style which limits the creation of new objects from major changes in the embedded device or application.
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#2 Libraries and Plugins
There are many JavaScript development resources available as prior to the increased use of JavaScript in various applications like Client-side development framework, Server-side JavaScript APIs, JavaScript libraries like Underscore.js, traverse, Async and testing tools like Blue Ridge, Sugar Test, Fire Unit, JSLint etc. To work with the JavaScript for IoT there are frameworks and engines like CycloneJS, IoT.js, JerryScript, Duktape etc which is specially designed for constrained devices.
#3 Compatible Hardware solutions
There comes a wide variety of JavaScript hardware solutions for IoT such as Raspberry Pi, Espruino to support Node.js; even microcontrollers like Tessel 2 and Espruino prove to be great when used in IoT projects. To enhance the power of Node.js in IoT, there are thousands of Node Package Manager (NPM) modules such as PM2, Socket.io, Mocha etc.
#4 Open Source End-User scripting
The crucial factor that makes JavaScript a suitable programming language for IoT is its open source platform which makes it possible for programmers to make useful contributions to various projects. JavaScript manages execution environment where end-used scriptability is secured by end-user scripting which can be enabled by embedded devices. End-user scripting helps bring new ideas and possibilities by enabling customization through end users and programmers to script their devices and add new functionalities.
#5 Familiar Syntax and Node.js popularity
Presently, most of the embedded programmers are using C but for the process of developing an IoT system, embedded programmers do not need to learn different syntax if they use JavaScript. The JavaScript syntax is very much similar to C, programmers have to spend very much time and successfully modify JavaScript code. To make the possible JavaScript server-side implementation Node.js has evolved as a robust technology.
Conclusion
Already the JavaScript is a very popular language among the internet. So, it makes an absolute sense to include the same language in the devices which is a part of the internet. JavaScript is very easy to lean in a short span of time. We do suspect some major advancements on the horizon for the embedded systems running on the JavaScript. If you really want to start tinkering with some user-friendly electronics using IoT solutions then JavaScript stands as a perfect fit for all.
Author Bio:
Herman Morgan is a Business Analyst at Tatvasoft.com.au, a Custom Software and Mobile App development company in Melbourne. He is having 3 years of experience in a Technological domain. He loves to travel to Spontaneous places.