I feel like only scripting language projects like this ever take off (owncloud, wordpress, ghost, etc..)
Like the kind of developer that tries to write the Rust/Go/Erlang/Haskell version ends up stuck on finding the perfect way to handle errors, trying to include a complex ML recommendation system, or creating a custom embedded database with fast lookup times for the possibility of albums with 100 million photos.
Meanwhile, PHP and Ruby keep pumping out these fun little systems that have security holes every few months and need constant babysitting.
Sorry, I don't mean to be negative. I'm really glad to see this, it just prompted some reflection.
Maybe because scripting languages are very pleasant to use in backends. Few things in web development beat the joy of changing a single line, pushing the affected file, and (usually) seeing it take effect immediately. I've developed websites in .Net and doing a tiny change becomes a big chore of serious business.
Surely there are critical web applications that need compiled code and scalability, but hobby projects benefit from the accessibility interpreted languages provide. Maybe if it becomes popular the effort of porting it to a safer and more performant platform would be worth it.
The bigger a backend system, the more you crave for static guarantees like a type system.
I think that such tools are mostly successful as products, not as code bases. So the successful ones are likely designed and implemented by competent photograpers with some programming chops, who naturally pick languages with very low barrier of entry.
The barrier to entry is way lower, way more developers will only learn scripting languages in their careers. A greater percentage of the projects who can succeed as a product will be using scripting languages.
Especially considering performance is often not crucial, as long as it's fast enough: worst case scenario, you just throw more servers at it.
The cost of hosting is often a small part of your budget compared to developers time (unless you're using AWS or developers from third world countries).
Like the kind of developer that tries to write the Rust/Go/Erlang/Haskell version ends up stuck on finding the perfect way to handle errors, trying to include a complex ML recommendation system, or creating a custom embedded database with fast lookup times for the possibility of albums with 100 million photos.
Meanwhile, PHP and Ruby keep pumping out these fun little systems that have security holes every few months and need constant babysitting.
Sorry, I don't mean to be negative. I'm really glad to see this, it just prompted some reflection.