Node.js says all is forgiven, welcomes io.js fork back into the fold

Re: Cool.io

Not me. The fork and divergence spooked me into looking at alternatives. Although experienced in node / javascript, I chose to start the new project in golang, and the sunk cost of learning go are already starting to pay off.

node's npm ecosystem is quantity over quality. Many packages are poor quality and/or abandoned. javascript's looseness definitely contributes to this. es6 allows and encourages better code, but many packages would need considerable es6 re-factoring. Eg: Class model, callback hell vs Promise chains. Modern javascript data structures such as Map, Set, and typed arrays.

If you do pick node, look into strong_mode. It's like strict mode, but an even stricter sub-set of javascript, which encourages better code, and prevents many v8 performance foot-guns going forward.

nodejs: Low boiler-plate. Very rapid prototyping of server applications. Vast package library.

golang: Steeper learning curve, but eventually zen-like. Concurrency baked into its core. Strong / static typing. High quality packages.