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Comment by inputcoffee | Hacker News Reader

Well, the syntax has this one issue that I just cannot forgive: multiple exceptions to rules.

Like why should a beginner have to figure out when the semi-colon is optional, required, and to be avoided?

For anyone who says it is easy and then launches into an explanation, please compare your explanation to that in, say, Java and realize the error of your ways.

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When are semicolons to be avoided in JS? I assume daft styleguides pushed by people desperate to show how smart they are don't count.

I agree with your broader point, of course; certainly making them optional hasn't helped matters.

I don't know of a single instance where it's advised to omit a semicolon, nor one where a semicolon is strictly required. They are always optional. About all I've seen is Standard's guideline to put a semicolon before your entry point closure:

    ;(function() {
        // .. snip
    })()

And even that isn't required, it's just a function of another guideline: "Never start a line with (, [, or `." But still, that is only relevant to Standard, not to Javascript in general. It's completely self-enforced by deciding to use Standard if you want. I can't remember ever needing to put one of those characters at the start of a line outside that particular instance, anyway.

I think the reason was to work around too simplistic minifiers and concatenators.

> daft styleguides

Daft is correct, but some of them are being pushed by large companies and (frustratingly) seem to be somewhat adopted.

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