I bought js.org and want to “give it back” to the JavaScript community | Hacker News Reader

I bought js.org and want to “give it back” to the JavaScript community

28 pointsjsorg24 comments

What do you think would be most useful for the JS-community? Free subdomains for open-source projects? A CDN ? Community tools like blogs, forums, chats? *@js.org email adresses for "everyone"?

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Lets create an online Javascript bible, not the frameworks like angular, ember, backbone etc... But core javascript, objects, constructor functions, bitwise operators. Everything about Javascript language should be there.

that's exactly what you can find at https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript

+1. There was that push for the Web Platform site[1], the fancy flashy unified source for web documentation, but I haven't gone back there since day 1... MDN has more content, more contributors, more love.

[1] http://www.webplatform.org/

Yep. If I wanted to know the latest JavaScript standards, or look up language details, I should be able to go to js.org to find it.

Agree with this. Javascript is a programming language, the up-to-date standard would make sense for this domain.

You could focus on redirects, maybe some for npm modules, other for jquery plugins, etc

Also you could link/redirect references, like the Mozilla one https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript (Mozilla rocks \o/)

You could make it a redirect service for npm modules.

e.g. https://js.org/express 301 redirects to https://www.npmjs.com/package/express

Another idea is a blog. One of my favorite blogs is http://npmawesome.com/

Thats a bit nodejs focused, i think. Off-topic: The blog i like most is dailyjs...

How about https://node.js.org/express instead?

So getting practical, the main strategy would be:

- When a project reaches a popularity threshold (for example 10k github stars or gets to be the most popular project is his category - example: the most popular 3D library) would get a subdomain:

https://jquery.js.org/eachplugin

https://node.js.org/express

When we get exceptions, in this case, express grew and got autonomous, https://node.js.org/express would redirect to:

https://express.js.org/

much better i think.

You could create an identity system, where users can create personal accounts and have projects, similar to github. Maybe you should simply use github, that way popular projects would keep their well known names.

Do not hustle with email, install a system to handle MX records by the user, maybe with an interface that has some defaults (github, gmail).

After that create an OAUTH provider. Now you can provide other services through partnerships. I would not give away the ability to define custom sub-subdomains, instead let them choose between different service providers for predefined subdomains like these:

* forum.project.js.org

* news.project.js.org

* issues.project.js.org

* mailinglist.project.js.org

Create a skin-able overview of all the services at project.js.org. For the beginning you could simply pull in githubs README and add a navigation bar at the top. Later you could create something more dynamic.

Host an aggregator for each service at:

* js.org/forum

* js.org/news

* js.org/issues

* js.org/mailinglist

After you successfully created an enormous community and locked everybody in, turn evil, go into profit mode and add:

* jobs.project.js.org

* donate.project.js.org

* sponsors.project.js.org

I like the evil part... No, to be serious I just wonder what could be useful. Github (for projekts) and MDN (for docu of core JS) are doing great. Thanks for your suggestion.

There is site called Ruby Toolbox[1] and I find that helpful for doing the initial research for a library and if its active, useful to me, and how popular.

An initial Google search indicates there is a site like this for JavaScript, but checking it show it is an internet lifetime ago (5-6 years).

A fact based inventory of major JS libraries with downloads, bugs and updated_at stats would be helpful. The challenge would be keeping it fresh. If project "owners" can submit their own info that would help.

[1] https://www.ruby-toolbox.com/

You could somehow use it to establish kind of an official page to JS-community. Right now js-community is divided, there is the angular community, the jquery community, the node community, the meteor community, etc, but a JS community that would aggregate all JS project communities is not organized yet. Without it JS will always look less popular than it really is.

That aggregation you mention is traditionally called the "planet", and has a long history:

http://planet.lisp.org/

http://planet.emacsen.org/

http://www.planetnetbeans.org/

http://planetopendata.herokuapp.com/opendatanews?style=hacke...

There are probably several packages which will ease the creation of such a thing, but this is the one I know of: http://www.planetplanet.org/

Ex. I make a search for "ruby", the first result I get is ruby-lang.org. For "python": python.org. For "clojure": clojure.org. For "PHP": php.net (...)

For "javascript", I get w3schools.com/js !!! I know that Javascript is in constant evolution, but we need some kind of "headquarters to gather our troops", do PR and marketing.

JS community cannot be a Peter Pan forever, one day we must grow up.

...thats exactly my thinking.

Free subdomains and email would be really cool, actually. However, who is "Everyone"? Who gets a subdomain/email address?

thats the point. I think even with a good hosting plan i could handle subdomains only in the hundreds and email adresses in the thousands?!? But how to decide... Even with a focus on open source devs.

You could buy a VPS and set up the appropriate software (mailserver, web client, etc.) and offer free registration for that.

subdomain + email is a good thing, setup a invite only "not so" closed beta staging, see if it works. Write a user agreement understanding that this is a test enviroment and making them aknowledge that all their data hosted on that email can be erased.

So you are safe, and can see if it at least work it out.

Emails for open sources projects would be awesome!

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