how will platforms evolve?
I'd say it will be a language that is parallel to the core and only sequential in edge cases, because thats what the underlying platform (processor, graphics card) is evolving to. parallel first, sequential second.
I think that from the user perspective, one gets from Internet nearly everything one wants in terms of content. The new frontier, I believe, is interoperability. That is the possibility to make it work together and in smart ways all of our electronic devices, from the tiniest (e.g. wristwatch) to the biggest (e.g. TV set, car), anywhere any time. So I predict the next platform shift will be initiated by a large consumer electronics manufacturer.
Javascript has become widely popular for 3 reasons (IMO): * it's standardized * it's easy (yes, it is, period) * it's f*ing included in each and every browser, and its rise followed closely that of the web.
Moreover, the fact that Adobe came with a more powerful yet proprietary VM (namely, Flash) forced evolution of Web standards (JS included) so they could live on. That's Darwin 101.
Every use of JS outside the browser comes from developers willing to have the same ease of use out-browser than they had in-browser. But JS, as popular as it is, is not yet as popular outside of the browser than it is inside of it. Stop looking at the Web ecosystem and dive into the industry, you'll see.
What will happen to JS if we kill the browser? Or what will come out that will kill the browser? And will it have an impact on JS?
The bond is yet very tight between those two pals, don't you think?