`const` was a mistake

Finally sharing my thoughts on the Const vs Let debate.
Ugh.
Original rant (unlisted for now)
• A Rant About F***ing C...
SOURCES
www.epicweb.dev/talks/let-me-be
/ 1786608749354082455
github.com/TodePond/DreamBerd...
www.joshwcomeau.com/javascrip...
Check out my Twitch, Twitter, Discord more at t3.gg
S/O Ph4se0n3 for the awesome edit 🙏

[@akinaguda]

Can't we just agree to default to const and use let when we want to re-assign a variable. It's so useful and nice and helps readers and helps even you the developer.

[@HoNow222]

yeah why this channels have to over complicate everything just to make a video about it???

[@buddy.abc123]

That's it

[@Fiercesoulking]

This would be like Skala on the variable level but then you make JS a functional programming language but I see where you coming from C# doesn't allow inheritance until a function is virtuell this is kinda similar. My question is more why using so many function pointers which makes debugging hard ?

[@FIash911]

hasn't it always been like this since const was introduced? i don't know any person working with it another way lol

[@Adowrath]

@@Fiercesoulking Dude what the fuck. xD

[@inwerpsel]

Ah, the good old let-leaning vs constervative

[@dannyisrael]

😂

[@aaaidan]

WILDLY underrated comment! 😂

[@hmbil694]

W comment

[@NongBenz]

Varistocrats relegated to history

[@AvanaVana]

Vary clevar

[@edumorangobolcombr]

If you’re in a company that runs a meeting about const vs let quit immediately

[@trappedcat3615]

Not if the pay is good. They can have meetings about rabbits for all I care.

[@sonofabippi]

@@trappedcat3615 Companies that do this, never pay good for long.

[@akam9919]

@@trappedcat3615 unless its eating rabbits...then I'm quitting. I don't care that some people eat them. I have some family members that raise and eat rabbit. I respect their choices, but internally I want scream "YOU F*CKING MONSTER!!!!". No, I am not a vegan or vegetarian. I am a carnivore. No, I am not a hypocrite, because that implies that I care about my own consistency in the dietary arena. News flash, I don't.

[@TalkingDonkeyz]

@@akam9919 bro calm down it just tastes good

[@Luxalpa]

I had this meeting in a company I worked in. Was super annoying too.

[@tharunbalaji5131]

const is not to protect us from mutation, it is to protect us from javaScript

[@trappedcat3615]

It doesn't though. Need TypeScript "as const" for that.

[@oleg4966]

I use const to protect myself from myself. One of the first warning signs of morbid tech debt is that you need to turn existing consts into lets. It's a wake-up call: "the reason you spent 5 hours debugging one issue is because your codebase is 90% spaghetti, time to face the horror and refactor this crap".

[@Vietnamkid1993]

const on an array or object still allows values to be reassigned in it. We need freeze too

[@MagicPants647]

@@Vietnamkid1993or typescript as const

[@makl-the-oracle]

​@@trappedcat3615 doesn't stop you from mutating at runtime

[@nilskaspersson]

I can't believe I'm writing this, but does Ryan seriously not understand the difference between constant assignment and immutability? This is the dumbest hill I've ever seen anyone climb. 100% agreed on your convention, this is what I've been doing for years already

[@FadkinsDiet]

I think the c++ equivalency is more like the difference between const string const *, an immutable pointer to an immutable string, and string const *, an immutable pointer to a mutable string, not double indirection

[@user-zh5kg2op4h]

Let say you have some array from the input: const { items } = data; Now you want to output an empty array (or create a new array to populate). With 'const' you can't do items = []; so one would write this: items.length = 0; Did you noticed what just happened? You have mutated an input array. Some other parts of program may rely on it. There is no such problem with let. That's why 'prefer-const' eslint rule is dangerous and should not be used in any professional environment.

[@BCRooke1]

@@FadkinsDietwhen I saw the C++ tweet I was very confused

[@Adowrath]

@@user-zh5kg2op4h But that reasoning relies on the faulty assumption that const means anything other than "you can't re-assign this". If you need to "output an empty array (or create a new array to populate)" you have 2 better solutions than setting length to 0 (which **always** looks like a hack in my eyes): 1) Use a new variable, or 2) change it to let since that's what you actually want to do with it: reassign.

[@nilskaspersson]

@@user-zh5kg2op4h I'm sorry, why would you ever write `items.length = 0`, and how is the behaviour any different between const and let here?

[@ando_rei]

This presentation's argument is just so useless, because it is based on the premise, that writing "const" is intenting to mean "the whole structure is immutable", when it means "the name cannot be bound to another value than the initial one". JS isn't by far the only language with semantics like that. So this is rather a skill issue/(intentional) misinterpretation than an argument. Addendum: Mutability of bindings is different than mutability of their contents -Have fun getting your "export let" or "export function" destroyed by assignments on a star-import! (ESMs export bindings not values and "function"+ has the same semantics as "var" bindings!)

[@chrisdaman4179]

It's not even that complex to understand. We assign a lot in js using short hand noadays. Realistically we are just assigning a pointer to a data l structure, then adding items to that structure using its methods. If you just assume it's all just pointers, then this issue just goes away. You don't change a pointer to an object by interacting with that object. They would be impossible to bind and instantiate otherwise.

[@MrSofazocker]

@@chrisdaman4179 Yes! Finally, som1 else said it too. Its all just pointers and always has been. All the semantic sugar coating and added terminology that doesn't even fit just confuses everyone. Especially those how learn javascript, beginners. Just talk to mathematician about variables and constants, he will look at you in shock on how js uses these words!

[@Bobbias]

@@chrisdaman4179 What proportion of JS devs actually understand pointers properly? As someone who tries to stay as far away from web development as possible, I'm genuinely curious.

[@chrisdaman4179]

@@Bobbias I would hope that the people giving talks would be aware at least...

[@aykutakguen3498]

The thing is, that Const is really importnat to quickly rtead code. If i have a const, I can make a mental check that it wont mutate and move quicker, it gives me security and more predictability. It also makes code much easier to read. it does not need a functional reason. It just should be a dev info so we can think about other things then that x may mutate.

[@joe-robin]

At this point choosing JavaScript as my main programming language is the only mistake I made.

[@nobir98]

Any kind of scripting language should not be the mian language but System language. Trust me I know it by hard way

[@SlavojZizekEspanol-libros]

😂😂 JavaScript is the only alternative

[@Bigcheeseh]

But isJSYourMainLanguage const or let?

[@Leonhart_93]

YOU are the one that choose it, or you use it because it's the thing that builds the web ? 😂

[@str2254]

@@Leonhart_93 Well actually the web is built on top of java and php

[@iancarlson3421]

"Defaulting to `const` actually makes 'let` mean something" (paraphrasing of course)

[@HamdiRizal]

When I encounter "let" in the code, it stored in some part of my brain. Expecting to find it again later in the code where the value changes. By using "const" for constant value instead of "let". The number of brain energy spent to hold those information are reduced greatly.

[@-parrrate]

to me the meaning of JS's const is that it's always the same object, not that it's immutable. clear and simple. and quite important for dealing with mutability too: if you mutate it in one place, all other places are guaranteed to observe the change.

[@insu_na]

In C++ you can absolutely change both the memory that a pointer points to, as well as the address of the pointer. There's a whole can of worms about `const int* someName` vs `int* const someName` vs `const int* const someName` vs `int const* someName` which is pretty annoying to deal with. The older I get, the more I appreciate a really good implementation of const-ness, and in C++ we're closing in on that with constexpr and consteval

[@DestopLine]

I think the way Rust does it is really nice. Let is for immutable and non-reassignable values and let mut is for both mutable and reassignable values.

[@actually_it_is_rocket_science]

I love const as a promise for c/c++. I've caught so many issues where I accidentally tried to change an input of the compiler/lint yells at me before I ruin my entire day refusing to use a debugger instead of prints

[@sirflimflam]

the phrase "const correctness" still gives me mild ptsd from my c/c++ years.

[@Luxcium]

i will unsubscribe if this is a serious thing

[@gofullstack]

😂😂😂

[@somebody-anonymous]

Pff why do I have to go through an intro about drugs to find out :-/

[@somebody-anonymous]

It's kind of fun to be early to a video and land in a fresh comment section, but it's less fun if you decide it's probably not really worth your time and there's no video transcript and summary yet

[@SemogEnaz-sr8tr]

​@@somebody-anonymouswhat?

[@oserodal2702]

Because const is kind of a lie. Const is an immutable reference to a value, not a reference to an immutable value.

[@mranthonymills]

Const means you can't rebind the thing. That's really important to know. It doesn't mean the thing is a constant. Once you know that, just use const by default, and use let where necessary, which points out which variables change and which ones don't. This isn't rocket science or something.

[@claasdev]

The conference talk feels like a troll

[@warmbowski]

I agree. His phasers were set to somewhere between troll and satire for a fun talk. Not sure where, but I'd be surprised if he wasn't less genuinely concerned about it and more wanting to sit back, put his hands behind his head, and watch the ruffled feathers fly with a big smirk on his face. ( I don't know Ryan Florence, and he could have a sarcastic streak that I just don't know about).

[@Asdayasman]

And not even a good one. I remember when people put effort into trolling. It truly is a art.

[@ApprendreSansNecessite]

What I think many people are missing in the imperative world is that FP programmers don't need to freeze objects or protect themselves from mutations. We simply don't do it. If we do it, it's in a tiny and controlled scope. The mental load is just so much lower when you do that. When a FP programmer looks for an immutable data structure, it is not to prevent mutations. They don't do mutations, it is to have an efficient data structure, with structural sharing for example

[@greyshopleskin2315]

Ah yes, JS devs discussing stupid shit with ridiculous arguments and fallacies

[@InfinityN]

"let is prettier and easier to pronounce than const", JS devs in a nutshell

[@orterves]

JS devs yet again spending endless time arguing over the correct solution to problems of their own making (and still being more productive than anyone trying anything different because of sheer inertia)

[@baummensch49]

Would you rather join the C++ dev discussion East Const vs West Const?

[@actually_it_is_rocket_science]

@@baummensch49 I'll stick to my c90

[@Xomps]

It's not "js devs", it's "stupid people".

[@revenity7543]

Just imagine const objects, arrays and functions are pointers. It all makes sense if you think it that way.

[@sokacsavok]

No. In C++ you have int * (pointers to integers), int const * (pointer to const integers), int * const (const pointers to integers), int const * const (const pointers to constant integers). All of them are pointers, yet quite different.

[@revenity7543]

​@@sokacsavok so const in JS is just a const ref to a mutable object. That makes sense right?

[@revenity7543]

@@sokacsavok JavaScript doesn't have all types of pointers

[@Bozon671_Higgs]

I'm disappointed that clickbait made me spend 30 minutes on this video.

[@t3dotgg]

At least the ending is really good :)

[@lbgstzockt8493]

welcome to this channel

[@cmlttnts4906]

One good thing about "const" is that it basically tells you that it's type of "data structure" is constant, so if we do this: const arr = [1,2,3], arr will always be array, even if content changes, if it was "let", you can assigng arr= "123", and it is now a string. Another reason and intention we can provide.

[@mikopiko]

I assumed "const arr = [1, 2, 3]" would make the array immutable. So being able to change it's contents surprised me a bit, but your explanation makes sense.

[@scragar]

@mikopiko Const protects the variable, not the things on it. If you want to prevent an object from being modified you should use Object.freeze I always think of it as if I'd written this in C++, if I'm needing to work with an array or object then it'd be a pointer to the object on the heap; protecting the variable would protect the pointer, not the data on the heap. It's the same with JS to an extent, because of how garbage collection works `const arr = [1,2,3];` has `arr` be a reference to a shared memory chunk for the array, and if I assign something else to it `let arr2 = arr` then `arr2` now points to the same chunk of memory(and the reference count increases so it knows when it stops being referenced and can be cleaned up). You can't change `arr` because it's a const, but the data of the array/object has no such protections.

[@Adowrath]

@@mikopiko I wonder: Why though? What makes you think that? What behaviour would you expect if that was the case? Should the runtime throw an Error on "arr[1] = 21"? Should it do that only if the "const arr" declaration is in scope, or even if you pass arr to a function which obviously can't know if it was const- or let-declared? Should it ignore the update like when frozen with Object.freeze? What about a nested array, should the inner arrays also be immutable? What about "let arr1 = [1, 2]; const arr2 = [arr1, 3];", should "arr2[0][1] = 10" error? What about "arr1[1] = 10"? Or just in general, what about "let a = ...; const b = a;", should b be a copy so the object can be immutable, or is a now effectively-const too? There's so many important things that counter the intuition of "const makes the value immutable" to me, that I really am curious how someone comes to it nonetheless. Sorry if that was a lot of questions!

[@user-zh5kg2op4h]

If you make a stupid thing it will be stupid? But that's not an excuse. Why do stupid things? If you're using Typescript - it will throw an error anyway. If not, it's still not that good idea not to use monomorphic structures. Anyway the code should be reviewed and tested. And a good code should be short enough to see such a stupid thing in a moment.

[@BCRooke1]

I would argue that with let, you should not be able to change data types a variable points to. And const should be for immutable objects.

[@grzeske]

I just clicked this video only to pause it at 0:00 and write the comment that I'm 99,9% sure it's just another theo'ish clickbait title

[@RobertMcGovernTarasis]

Sorta, but it was someone else that said it

[@trappedcat3615]

Folks who complain about clickbait so much need to spend another decade getting used to the internet. Its normal and everyone does it.

[@birthdayzrock1426]

i wouldn't call this clickbait. Theo is just putting out a statement ("const is a mistake") that he saw somewhere and is surprised by it, and wants to challenge it. Nowhere does Theo say that the statement in his title or thumbnail is his own opinion.

[@JD2jr.]

@@trappedcat3615 being "normal" does not make it good.

[@GPT-X938]

This is the kind of argument you come up with when you're invited to speak at a conference and have nothing to talk about.

[@tinrab]

Most variables are immutable. I like the way this is expressed in Rust, `let`, `let mut`, and `const`/`static`. By default you write `let`, and upgrade to mutable if needed. In TS, I write `const` by default in 90% of cases, because a variable usually holds a result of something.

[@keineahnung1919]

"LSD has wrecked many lives" (X) Doubt

[@filip5356]

The guy's shitting on LSD ruined any of his credibility

[@georgemunyoro]

2:22 Theo just casually calling an audience member a chatter lol

[@julian7]

The more times I'm watching the Let Me Be talk, the more I think it's more like a satire.

[@jose6183]

Yeah it totally feels that way. It's hard for me to think it's serious

[@Mothuzad]

I have literally never seen an argument about whether to use const vs let. If anybody has a meeting to waste your time about that, their real purpose was to fill time, and they'd have still created a nonsense meeting about something else pointless.

[@masu4644]

2:35 this is not true, albert hofmann worked for a pharma company that was researching something against bleeding in pregnancies. Not adhd related.

[@thomassynths]

It just speaks wonders of the credibility of the presenter that makes disingenuous let vs const arguments

[@JeremyAndersonBoise]

I agree, he got that utterly wrong, must have asked ChatGPT and it hallucinated. (Because LSD 😅) That, and his virtue signaling immediately damaged his credibility with me.

[@MadsterV]

@@thomassynths and goes on wild tangents

[@elagrion]

Between js `const` and `let` I choose not to code in javascript.

[@b0bhart]

They really have nothing better to do with their time than intentionally misinterpret semantics so that they can act better than everyone else

[@andrewf8366]

In C++ you don't need to go to ** to do the analogy int a = 5; const int a = 5; int* a = new int(5);

[@JakobRossner-qj1wo]

This talk that you watched cant be meant unironically

[@AndreasZetterlund]

At 16:00 "let is **" (double pointer), he's just plain wrong. It's just like saying that "int n = 1" is a pointer because you can change it...

[@spageen]

I haven't watched the video yet but im going to assume you're wrong

[@jacoblockwood4034]

Nope, just a little clickbait :D

[@figloalds]

it's a multiparadigm language and the keyword is CONST not IMUT, it was never supposed to behave like IMUT, I don't know where these guys get the idea that const has to be imutable. Const means that the reference is constant. I agree with you here, LET and CONST have more communication value to us if we use const to indicate that a value is not being reassigned.

[@blackAngel88it]

Totally agree with your points. Also I didn't really know the guy in the video, but that typo in the chat gpt stuff really made me lose any trust that I didn't even have yet... I even asked chat gpt how likely it would be, that it would write "thier" instead of "their" and well, it's exceedingly low, since that is not even a real word.

[@Daniel_WR_Hart]

yea, the translation from tokens to words seems impossible for something like "thier"

[@Tom11Technik]

I get what are you saying, but I really like Dart implementation For different variable purpouse they have different modifier: 1. const -> real Constant (It forces you to have const threw the whole tree) 2. final -> js const - not changable, but inside modifiable 3. var -> js let (it does not have js var) But as it is said in DreamBread to be able to change it, but to have like array constant you woud do it like: var arr = const ['A', 'B', 'C'];

[@gusryan]

the obvious fix is to let you have two consts to show you're super serious about how const your const is

[@FunctionGermany]

dreamberd

[@DestopLine]

in C++ you can have 4 consts `const char* const hello(const char* str) const;`

[@zeocamo]

after learning the hard way, we got a rule on work, we can't use var or let and only const, why well, when you don't reassign variables you get code you read from top to bottom, without crazy things in loop where the code do one thing and then if something next time if some thing else then it do that. this is hard to understand and read, making that kind of code full of bugs, so now with only const no one make that kind of crazy code, and we half the amount of bugs, and we make more features and look less in the black hole of despair. in the start people think you can't do stuff without let, but you are wrong, you are just thinking of the wrong way to fix that problem, there is always a simple way with reduce or filter to make the loops only do one pass, you can then reduce the result again and again, so each pass will fix one of the problems you used let for.

[@yourinouri4305]

If you use "as const" in typescript, it won't let you even use the push method on your brand array with the following error: "Property 'push' does not exist on type 'readonly [...]'"

[@aLfRemArShMeLlOw]

I know the debate he's going to talk about and it's a massive L take. If he's going to agree, I might just unsubscribe honestly.

[@mblackritter]

Ah yeah, did so [unsubscribe] quite some time ago because of his *cataclysmic egomagalomania!* ✊🏻 🙀 😹💦

[@skleon]

The thing is that the argument "const is not for immutability but to prevent reassignment" only exists as a ex-post justification for the bad implementation of const in JS. In C++, const is properly implemented and absolutely nobody argues it should be only for reassignment. It actually prevents mutation (and a lot of bugs that come with it).

[@username7763]

C++ for all its warts got many things right. Const should be default but otherwise it got const right. References and values being non-nullable by default was also right. You want null, then use a pointer. But it is opt-in. But then came Java and everyone forgot about the good things C++ had.

[@sentjojo]

I'm primarily a Java dev and JS const has the same semantics as Java's final keyword. The "final" behavior should be default behavior of variables, because changing the object reference of a variable opens the door to endless possible bugs. Javascript is even more so prone to these bugs due to the global scope in browsers. I think the JS designers choosing the keyword "const", implying a constant, is the root of the confusion. But the behavior is fine and should be preferred over "let"

[@waynes84]

I don't get it, why assign function to a variable or const when you can just declare the function without assigning it!? What am i missing?

[@trappedcat3615]

Why is there resistance to making function declarations const but not variables? I dont get it.

[@ssk7690]

12:20 I always use the function keyword to declare a function, and not a function expression. I use arrow functions only when it's not required to name the function. So JS devs might just agree with me ig.

[@CottidaeSEA]

Functions can be reassigned just like with let, so that's also a bit annoying. With modules it's less of an issue though.

[@Arsy1999]

does this guy just waffle to over complicate everything ?

[@MeriaDuck]

What this guy, Theo or the speaker

[@herzogsbuick]

off-topic: as someone who's taken my fair share of LSD, and known people who've taken way way way more than their share...i'm still struggling with Ryan's take away about LSD: "it's pretty undisputed that LSD has wrecked many, many lives" like -- compared to what? and in my experience, which i consider broad, as a travelling musician and ne'er-do-well, i just don't see people abusing LSD like i do other substances. or beliefs. it's not without harm, of course, nothing is. i just don't know anyone who was "wrecked" by it, per my definition of "wrecked". or "by". i support him not drinking coffee and acknowledge nothing is without side effects. i'm just bloody confused here. i'm also a programmer so i am here for a reason! i'm working on an ESP8266 project but in 20 years of off and on dev work this is my first serious foray into C++, and in an embedded environment, i honestly thought the dilemma was twixt #define macros and const. anyway. i look forward to a settled resolution. edit: boy howdy was i unprepared for all of this, dear lord

[@warmbowski]

When I reconcile Ryan's arguments, David Herman's tweets, and Theo's argument in my brain, the base problem across all of those that maybe 'const' was a poor choice of key word that wasn't specific enough (some argue it should mean "cannot change value", and others are fine with "cannot be reassigned"). Was there a better key word that could have chosen to add to es6 if David's intention (don't change the value) was different than the actual implementation (don't reassign)? I assume this is the crux of David's regret.

[@cmmartti]

No, the crux of the regret is that it became a debate to begin with. And it only became a debate because there's not much value in making a distinction between variables that are reassigned or not. I can say that I've worked in codebases that used let for everything and other codebases that tried to use const wherever possible, and the difference was meh. Use const if you want, it doesn't matter; just don't think it will actually do anything.

[@edd9581]

Looks like half of JavaScript was a mistake at this moment

[@rnts08]

All of it. All of it.

[@briankarcher8338]

Remember prototypes? Javascript itself was a mistake. All of it is technical debt, or soon will be.

[@hanes2]

It's kinda ironic in Javascript that we use CONST but then change it's value anyway as that's the const only care for the declaration, not what's within it.

[@PS-dp8yg]

I'm sorry, how do you change a const in JS?

[@goosydev]

Makes sense to me actually. Just like you have shallow copies of arrays for a reason you have shallow const. If you want a deep copy you can just freeze it.

[@Fiercesoulking]

@@PS-dp8yg when you have another reference to the underlying data . This is also the problem if they one day change it from half-backed to the normal implementation of const so many things will break.

[@fullfungo]

No, you cannot change the value. You might be confused by the semantic. const x = {a:1}; corresponds to struct{int a} *const x =…; in C/C++ and some other similar languages, as opposed to struct{int a} const *const x =…; The “reference” (“pointer”) is indeed constant and cannot be modified, but the fields of the structure that we are pointing to are not necessarily constant. To make them constant you would have to define the field “a” in {a:1} as a “read-only” property. Otherwise, you are defining it with the regular defaults (enumerable, writeable, configurable, etc.) You can test the following code in JS to verify that “const” prevents you from modifying the object. const x = {a:1}; x = {b:2}; You will get an error.

[@DanielCouper-vf5zh]

It's not ironic at all, you can't change the value

[@benmeehan1968]

Ryan's talk was clearly intended to be humorous, especially invoking ChatGPT as an authority (given that the output was clearly edited). Not distinguishing between integrals and ref's makes it an in joke for people sufficiently knowledgable about the language. Using screaming case is a hold over from when editors lacked tooltip context to understand whether, in a language like C, the symbol was a macro or a variable. Screaming case is rarely useful beyond TOUCH_THIS_AND_DIE or UNTIL_HELL_FREEZES_OVER semantics.

[@SandraWantsCoke]

ES2026 will come with `const const` to indicate that it is truly immutable and we will also get a quadruple equal sign ==== to indicate that the thing is truly truly equal.

[@sirhenrystalwart8303]

I think we need bakers dozen of equal signs just to make sure.

[@SamualN]

11:37 does theo not know typescript?

[@BenjaminAster]

Yeah I asked myself the same thing. "return void" lmao

[@hansmeyer2]

Why does the first function return Promise tho?

[@stevenbasher5363]

​​​​@@hansmeyer2@hansmeyer2 The short answer is that the return value / type is 'never' defined as opposed to being explicitly returning nothing such as with `if (condition) return;` or ending the method explicitly with an empty return. The value will be undefined whether 'never' or 'void', it's just a semantic difference and is more-or-less interchangeable. The distinction may be due to how deterministic the code is assumed to be - we know with pretty much 100% certainty the behavior a function invoking console.log() is, but there is a possibility that the first method could never finish or throw an error (hence actually never hitting end of function, therefore never even implicitly returning). Promise.reject() returns Promise, whereas Promise.resolve() will return Promise

[@hansmeyer2]

@@stevenbasher5363 Implicit return yields void though, and nothing is being awaited in the original function, so why not Promise? EDIT: nvm, it's the "use server". missed that earlier in the video.

[@martin_nav]

JS was mistake

[@PhantomPhobos]

JS wasn't a mistake, the mistake was people trying to take it out of it's rapid prototyping scripting box and turning it into Typescript, Node, full blown complex frameworks, basically going backwards from dumb quick language into what made it in the first place.

[@maxpoulin64]

I've had my choice of const over let prevent a few bugs, so I'm pretty happy with treating it as a constant reference to an object. The use case is exactly as explained: sometimes, you accidentally reassign something, or end up reassigning the wrong binding (since JS allows name clashes as long as they're in different scopes). There's use cases for global objects that shouldn't be reassigned, but where mutation is desirable, like a global table where you register handlers. You don't want someone to be clever and try to replace that object entirely, and the use of private variables (the # syntax ones) prevents actually reaching the storage object so all that's left is the interface to it. That works fine. I think using const also has some implications with the JIT because it can skip looking up the name and dereferencing the pointer every time you use it. It knows it'll always point to the same object so it doesn't have to account for it potentially changing. Apparently that can lead to some nice optimizations with deep nested closures, although I guess a more advanced optimizer could determine it does not get rebound. But that's the reason I learned as to why do it that way, whenever you can use language features to make it easier for the optimizer, the better the chances the optimizer will do its job well. I wouldn't hate a way to also make things immutable, but it's pretty well understood that const in JS is to protect the binding. Even in C++ you have slap a bunch of const everywhere to really make it not-so-mutable (const T* thing() const) because the first const applies to the return type, not that the function can't mutate the object.

[@JakobRossner-qj1wo]

Did you saw the Jack Herrington video about this talk?

[@twofeetcat7694]

I am here only for the L takes

[@DahrkDaiz]

The fact that Theo gets so passionate about const vs let is exactly what this presentation is poking fun of.

[@user-gf8no4es6m]

Oh man, the beginning and the complete misunderstanding of everything there from LSD (Albert Hoffmann, what he was doing etc..) all the way to the actual topic discussed makes me gag...

[@devnom9143]

Scope (Public, Protected, Privated) is generally recommended to be as restricted as possible; The same rationale applies to let vs const, while not actually immutable it is still more restrictive than let; These restrictions on const result in usually only having to look for areas of modification rather than complete reassignment

[@CanKorkmazim]

title: `const` was a mistake duration: 31 minutes you are perfect

[@hugh5356]

Such a joke of a language. What the fuck are we even doing here.

[@liamrwilkins]

In my code, I always default to const. That way when I inevitably produce mutability, I get a handy little error. I can then either replace the const with a let, or rewrite my code. Whenever I read my existing code, each let assignment tells me that "yes, this variable is definitely intended to change in some use case. const is also great for things like objects and arrays, because you can still modify the data content, but the structure itself is always going to be the expected data type.

[@ErikMm5]

ngl I was kinda not fully getting the fuss until const = **, let = ***

[@TheRealMangoDev]

true

[@henri6764]

And then you wonder why everyone laughs at web devs

[@gabtrzimajewski]

what if JS was a mistake in the first place?

[@JacobSantosDev]

When i did Swift programming, i always used const except when i needed to reassign a variable and didn't want to toss the code into a separate function.

[@neociber24]

I suppose this is some kind of twitter engagement bait. "const" in JS means this variable won't be reassigned we are know it, not sure why is even a conversation.

[@TheChillBison]

At 24:45 in that useEffect() function, you could however refactor it to be `const url = [window.origin, pathname]` and then use push() and join(). The decision to use let there was dictated by the choice to use the string concatenation pattern, and thus const isn't even an option for that. Similarly, in the next example, that handler stuff could (perhaps should) be in a function that returns a value, and so could also be refactored to use const. But does this mean that one should refactor to be able to use const? That seems to be subjective. What if const as it acts today was renamed "ref" and const became equal to "const... Object.freeze"?

[@jamlie977]

in C++, we can do: std::vector vec = {1,2,3,4,5}; std::vector* const constantPointerToAVariable = &vec; constantPointerToAVariable->push_back(6); // ok const std::vector* const constPointerToAConstVar = &vec; constPointerToAConstVar->push_back(7); // error there are other things but i'm just gonna talk about this one, javascript constants are a constant to a pointer, which means the variable itself can change, the pointer cannot. however, for the second case it's a constant pointer to a constant, which means neither the pointer can change nor the values

[@ahmetcolak5553]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: [00:14] The speaker references a blog post by Jamie Kyle about `const` vs. `let` in JavaScript, emphasizing that using `let` should be intentional and communicate meaning to the team. [00:28] ️ The speaker mentions attending Epic Web Dev and being surprised by Ryan Florence's talk on `const` vs. `let`, which reignited the debate. [00:43] The speaker decided to re-record a video about `const` vs. `let` due to the renewed interest and people like Leigh Rob switching to the `let` side of the argument. [03:16] The speaker highlights the inventor of Q-tips using them for unintended purposes, foreshadowing the upcoming discussion on `const` vs. `let`. [04:18] The speaker talks about the excitement around ES6 (ECMAScript 2015) and the improvements it brought to JavaScript. [04:45] The speaker introduces Dave Herman, a hero in the web development community, who introduced `let` as the replacement for `var` in ES6. [04:59] The speaker points out that `const` is missing from Dave Herman's slides on ES6, sparking curiosity about his perspective on it. [05:25] ‍♀️ The speaker mentions Pamela Fox, another web hero, and the difficulty of deciding between `let` and `const`. [05:51] ⚠️ The speaker reveals Dave Herman's regret regarding `const`, raising questions about its purpose. [06:18] The speaker relays Dave Herman's view that `const` is being misused for functional programming concepts like immutability. [06:47] Dave Herman argues that `const` should only be used for true constants and not for variables that don't get reassigned, because it reduces code readability. [07:16] The speaker plans to write a follow-up to his book "Effective JavaScript" to address the `const` debate and the potential for flame wars. [07:42] ‍♂️ The speaker humorously blames himself for causing Dave Herman stress with his tweets about `const`. [08:25] Yehuda Katz, another JavaScript language influencer, suggests using `const` only for top-level module scope constants, and otherwise defaulting to `let`. [08:54] ‍♂️ The speaker expresses frustration with the prevalence of `const` usage, even though it seems to go against the original intentions of the language designers. [09:38] The speaker reveals that Airbnb, a company known for its ESLint configuration promoting `const` usage, doesn't even use that configuration internally. [10:37] The speaker argues that `const` shouldn't be called a variable because it can't be reassigned, making naming conventions like `const x` confusing. [11:05] ⚠️ The speaker warns about the danger of reassigning function references using `let`, which can lead to unexpected behavior. [11:32] ️ The speaker highlights how TypeScript helps prevent accidental function reassignment by requiring `const` for exported functions. [12:14] The speaker challenges the notion that `let` is only for variables and `const` is only for constants, pointing out that Arrow functions can be declared with `const`. [12:28] The speaker argues that `const` doesn't inherently prevent mutation, as you can still modify the contents of arrays or objects declared with `const`. [12:42] ✨ The speaker emphasizes that `const` prevents accidental complete replacement of arrays or objects, encouraging more deliberate mutations. [14:04] ✨ The speaker argues that using `const` with objects necessitates using `Object.freeze` to truly prevent mutation, which can become cumbersome. [14:34] The speaker highlights that the logical conclusion of using `const` for immutability is to freeze all nested objects, leading to boilerplate code. [14:49] The speaker reiterates the core point that `let` has a specific meaning of indicating an intention to reassign a variable. [15:15] The speaker quotes a tweet comparing `const` and `let` to pointers in C/C++, where `const` is like a single pointer and `let` is like a double pointer (mutable pointer to a pointer). [16:10] analogy The speaker uses an analogy of pointers in C/C++ to explain the difference between `const` and `let`, arguing that using `const` everywhere would be like always using double pointers which is considered bad practice. [16:25] ⚠️ The speaker warns that passing a `const` object as a function parameter doesn't prevent mutation within the function, as the function can still modify the object's contents. [17:20] according to large language model ChatGPT, using `const` everywhere in JavaScript has never prevented bugs in real production code and is more about following easy rules than actual benefit. [17:45] The speaker questions the credibility of a source claiming `const` prevents bugs because of typos and its similarity to promotional blog posts. [18:45] The speaker jokingly suggests subscribing to his channel because even large language model GPT seems to recommend it. [19:45] The speaker analyses the pronunciation of the word "let" to make a point about the topic at hand. [20:25] The speaker identifies three areas to consider `const` vs `let`: writing code, reviewing code, and talking about code. [20:40] The speaker concedes that using `let` can make talking about code easier as it avoids the complexity of `const` discussions. [21:09] The speaker acknowledges that `const` helps with code review because it makes it clear that the variable itself won't be reassigned. [21:24] The speaker compares `const` to pointers in C/C++ to explain its benefit for code comprehension: you only need to track what the variable points to, not where the variable itself is stored. [21:38] ️ The speaker expands the benefit of `const` to code maintenance as it reduces the need to trace potential mutations throughout the codebase. [22:21] ✨ The speaker highlights that `const` makes it easier to find mutations by looking for assignments (e.g. `.push()`) instead of all writes to the variable. [22:35] The speaker uses a beginner React counter example to illustrate how `const` prevents a common mistake of accidentally modifying a variable inside a function. [23:16] The speaker emphasizes that the benefit of `const` is not because it enforces immutability, but because `let` indicates a variable that can be reassigned. [24:13] ✨ The speaker argues that `let` is more valuable when used sparingly with `const` because it highlights places where reassignment is intentional. [24:25] The speaker provides an example codebase with far more `const` than `let` instances, suggesting `let` should be used for specific cases. [24:38] The speaker shows examples of how `let` clarifies code by indicating that a variable will be reassigned later. [25:18] ⚠️ The speaker argues that the problem isn't with `const`, but with overuse that diminishes the meaning of `let` for reassignment. [25:33] 分類 (classification) The speaker proposes three types of variables: actual constants (values), constant references (unchanging objects), and variable references (objects that can be mutated). [26:00] ✨ The speaker argues for using `const` with references to objects that shouldn't be reassigned even if the object's content can change (e.g., arrays). [26:28] ✨ The speaker recommends creating a cloned copy of a constant reference if you need to modify the content while keeping the original reference intact. [27:27] The speaker criticizes the idea that `const` should replace `let` for everything, arguing it removes the concept of constant references (unchanging pointers). [27:55] ✨ The speaker clarifies the difference between a constant value and a constant reference: the reference itself cannot be reassigned to point to a different object, but the content of the object it points to can change. [28:10] ✨ The speaker proposes a naming convention for clarity: - `const` in camelCase for actual constants - `const` for constant references - `let` for variables that can be reassigned [29:16] ✨ The speaker argues that overuse of `const` makes `let` meaningless because `let` specifically indicates a variable that can change. [29:43] The speaker concludes by advocating for using `const` strategically to preserve the meaning of `let` for reassignment. Made with HARPA AI

[@jorgeguzman8083]

I feel that I learned a lot from this video. Essentially, you should use const by default and only use let if you intend to change it. I was very confused about when to use const, but now I understand it. Thanks for the video.

[@germandavid2520]

function doSomehting() { console.log("hello") } can be reasigned too in JavaScript, TypeScript doesn't allow it.

[@skeleton_craftGaming]

12:02 why use either? Why would you assign an anonymous function when JavaScript has built -in ways to have to do that?

[@TeslaDragon]

I wonder if this debate would still get revisited all the time if different keyword had been chosen. If "let" had been chosen for non-assignable values, and something like "mut" were used to mean "block-scoped mutable reference" (so, "mut" replaces "var"), the whole argument of "const means constant!!!" falls apart.

[@zyxyuv1650]

The problem with const is that you can't use it for purely functional programming because the object is not immutable, though the word const seems to imply that it will be immutable. Now we need an actually_const or immutable keyword, except that's too radical of an idea so it cannot happen.

[@phen2841]

I just started learning Javascript yesterday. Am I in the right place?

[@rikschaaf]

12:23 That's not a function. That's a lambda, assigned to a variable (let) or constant (const). Thinking of it like that, it makes sense that you can reassign it when using let. It's only a function if you start with `function (params) {`, optionally prefixed by async and such, but definitely without const, let, = and =>

[@thekwoka4707]

`export let` is actually still not reassignable under normal module rules. bundlers normally do some work to let us do it anyway

[@logusgraphics]

Did you just write "return void" and then "void" just to see if that would satsify "void" return type? Why am I subscribed here?

[@skilletpan5674]

In the old days Const was there to tell the compiler that it could deal with it differently because the value wasn't going to change. It could be used as a direct replacement in the code with that value rather than needing to load it in from somewhere else etc. A sort of way to tell the compiler to optimize for speed when it was being used.

[@_sh1123]

Your shirt, excellent. So, could we call this debate genre drama? Or is more at stake, here? Thank you!

[@Bubbabrine]

I would have been livid if I spent time and money going to that conference talk. Such a waste of time trying to make a fallacious argument.

[@sonofabippi]

I know it's not technically part of the standard, but using 'const' does allow transpilers to minify and manipulate code a little more efficiently. If you were to write a simple function, it can precompute the results.

[@bdafeesh]

Right, if I am writing C++ I want to be const-correct, but in JS mutability is assumed. 'const' implies the thing shouldn't change (much). 'let' indends to share the memoy with everyone via shared pointer. If you want to write C++, write C++. Using JS implies mutability, but if you were to give me a shared pointer in C++, I'm assuming the thing is intended to be changed. It's like Inverse C++, JS Edition

[@skiesaboveunlimitedstargaz7316]

i think Pamela Fox is refering to migrating from ES5 to ES6? when your company code is all written in ES5...

[@KevinBoutin]

Intent is always super important for fellow developers that come along after you. This cannot be overstated.

[@GearsDatapacks]

Ryan got his linguistics wrong. Even though you don't pronounce the "t" at the end of let, there is still a sound there (it's called the glottal stop)

[@NateROCKS112]

15:13 might be worth noting that C99 has a const keyword, and that "const int*" is different to "int* const." The former makes the object immutable, while the latter makes the variable binding immutable. Thus we have for example, const int y = 3; const int *const x = &y; *x = 5; // illegal because the memory x points to is constant x = NULL; // also illegal because x itself is a constant Now, of course, if a struct contains a pointer to mutable memory, then that's fair game regardless of the original struct's mutability. JavaScript's analog to C's constant memory is Object.freeze, as was mentioned.

[@schtauffen5975]

"I don't even drink caffeine. I don't swear" Who is this man.

[@guinea_horn]

Must be mormon

[@MadsterV]

someone who doesn't understand const

[@stephenpaul7499]

If you're using Typescript, use `as const` after your immutable array/object declaration. Unlike `Object.freeze()`, there is no runtime performance hit, you get compile time errors if you try to mutate it, and the immutability applies to arbitrarily deep levels.

[@RhythmnOfThought]

I would also like to mention that TypeScript allows the declaration of actually constant arrays which can then also be used in type definitions: const vars = ["a" ,"b", "c"] as const;

[@aeronwolfe7072]

i agree with you theo. i only use 'let' for simple types (string, number, boolean) when i NEED to change the variable, like to build up a string or something. const for everything else.

[@kylekirby6424]

"Can't freeze your parameters." Yep. And I've had issue with this for so long. Parameters should be const.

[@TurtleKwitty]

So the guy that made const decided to give it entirely different semantics in code than what they meant and somehow that's people misunderstanding? If they wanted it to be const*const rather than jhust const* they could have just done that what even ????

[@MSheepdog]

Const reduces the number of assumptions you need to check when reading code. If you see a const declaration at the top of a function, you know that it isn't being reassigned elsewhere in the function. While it would be nice if we had some deep const/immutability in JS, it's just not a thing we have, but that doesn't mean the tools provided aren't still useful. At least TS has a few more options with readonly / 'as const' declarations.

[@gerhardroediger8331]

So to summarize what I understood: You use 'const' in your code to make it easier to read(and possibly change) the code for people who don't understand your code as a whole? I'll compare this to a simple shellscript: not every script declares things that should be understood as a constants with declare -r. But I've never had a problem to understand the nature of a variable as in rather it should be changed or not/being worried about it being changed or not when i grasped the meaning/use of the variable itself. So I think a constant is obvious to make out if you understand, what the variable is responsible for. If not, one should think about the readability of their code in general. and cryptic const fun = (){//shitcode} is not helping that. Remember, there was a keyword to mark functions... function.

[@DmitriPisarev]

I can't believe this is still a discussion on such a high level. What's there to discuss, lol?

[@BobFrTube]

The problem is in treating const as simply a read only variable. A very different view is that it is binding to a value and not the name of a box. This is not a constant in the sense of C but more Lisp without overwriting. Too bad the word let is used to name a box because "let a be sqrt(c)" would bind to that result (and maybe even allow for deferred evaluation as in "let a be () => sqrt(c))."