Mondo Masterclass: Connor Leech on Javascript
NAME: Connor Leech
TITLE: Javascript Developer
INDUSTRY FOCUS: Healthcare
MONDO: As someone who works with Javascript every day, what do you think accounts for its current popularity?
CONNOR: Javascript is really popular because Node.js and IO.js have evolved, making it possible to write robust server side applications, so Facebook, Google, and even Microsoft are pushing Javascript development further. New changes in the language coming with ES6 and Typescriptdefinitely make it an exciting time to be a full stack Javascript developer!
MONDO: Why are healthcare companies choosing to use Javascript for their digital growth?
CONNOR: Javascript is a good decision for healthcare companies to use for their digital growth because it is flexible and runs in all browsers, allowing them to write in one language with one technology. Modern front-end technologies make managing asynchronous data from our server a breeze! Now running our native application we can reuse code from the web and write in technologies we are comfortable with, like HTML and CSS, all because of the Javascript engine.
MONDO: What’s a current trend technology trend you’ve seen, and what does it indicate about the changing industry?
CONNOR: Things move really fast in technology, and there’s always a ton to learn and digest. Recently I’ve noticed a lot of people building the same “to-do” applications over and over again with different technology, expecting some huge breakthrough. New technology is fun to play around with, but using it doesn’t automatically make your product better more awesome than what’s already out there. Just because you employ a new technology doesn’t mean your idea in itself is unique.
MONDO: Where do you see Javascript going in the next 5 years? Do you expect to keep working primarily in Angular.js, Node.js, and MongoDB?
CONNOR: I have to imagine that in five years I’ll be working with tools that do not yet exist. Javascript will definitely still be around, but it’s bound to be several variations down the line. The people currently advancing Javascript have Computer Science degrees, allowing them to make the coding language more elegant, like Java, Go, Dart or Swift.
MONDO: What benefits do you see in using MondoDB over the other document oriented databases?
CONNOR: MongoDB is nice because the ORM mongoose is well maintained and documented. It’s also a popular choice for clients using Node.js., or those deploying to Heroku.
Redis is another popular option, along with a Javascript package called Sequelize that makes working with structured, relational data simple and straightforward. MongoDB, however, comes naturally to many Javascript developers because data is structured like a JSON object. It’s also used under the hood in many PaaS applications like Stamplay and Firebase, as these services operate at massive scale and MongoDB is able to hold up for them and their clients.
