founderling

     How would you implement Netflix without using
     external plugins such as Silverlight?

Upon first inspection this does not look like a code example to me, but rather like a question in english language?

I have no knowledge about Netflix, so I don't know what the technical aspect of the question is. A code example would make it clear.

    What if I want to use html+css+js to
    dynamically draw a 1024x1024 picture of a cat

Here is your cat:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Ghostscri...

    a renderer that has bezier curves and lines

SVG is part of the HTML standard and has those. And much more:

http://www.google.com/search?q=svg+examples

    Lisp acts as both HTML and JavaScript

So do you propose to make the separation of content and behaviour go away? Because that is one of the key features of the HTML+CSS+JS structure.

I like the content/presentation/behavior separation from a developers point of view and from a users point of view.

As a developer, I love to know what I am currently working on. In HTML, I define the structure of the content. In CSS, I define how it looks. In JS I define the behaviour. Lovely.

As a user, much of the time I browse the web without JavaScript. Because I am only interested in the content. Not in popups that beg me to join newsletters, animated things that make the page more "fun" or ads that try to grab my attention. Also I often disable the pages stylesheet so I get a nicely readable big font with good contrast to the background.

    That is only because this is Lisp that generates HTML.

Ok, so it is not the way you initially stated '<img id=animal src="my_kitten.jpg"> becomes (html [:image {:id "animal" :src "my_kitten.jpg"}])'. You rather showed an example of how to create html elements programmatically. Then you should compare it to JS:

Your ClojureScript:

    (html [:image {:id "animal" :src "my_kitten.jpg"}])

My JS:

    html("image",{id:"animal",src:"my_kitten.jpg"})

If we use a function html(elementType,properties) that creates an element. Looks pretty nice to me.

    If you want to build programs, it's not as convenient any more.

Strange, my experience is the other way round. The browser is the most convenient platform I ever targeted.

Can you express this in a code example? Actual code that shows what is hard to do in HTML+CSS+JS and easier on another platform?

Thumbs up for actually giving an example!

Personally, I prefer the HTML version over the ClojureScipt version. It is shorter and to me it is much more readable.

Would be nice to see some examples of what people don't like about HTML+CSS+JS. I find it quite wonderful.

You can make all kinds of magic happen in a simple text file. In an intuitive way. Want to tell something? Just write it:

    This is some text. How easy was that?

Want to show an image? Just a few keystrokes:

    <img id=animal src="my_kitten.jpg">

Want to style it? Here we go:

    <style>.animal { border: 5px solid green }</style>

Want to change it programmatically? Easy:

    <script>document.getElementById("animal").src="my_dog.jpg"</script>

Deployment? Instantly. Developer tools needed? A text editor. Compatibility? Runs everywhere. Speed? Im often shocked, how fast stuff runs these days.

I think we created a paradise. And I enjoy "living" in it every day.

I am in a similar situation, only that I already executed my idea and I am already being copied:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9206629

Hoping to get some opinions on how to go forward.

Regarding your question: It sounds like you only want to execute the idea for the money. I think: Either love the idea so much that you do it no matter what, or find some other idea that you can do for the love of it.