One can view node.js as being to Joyent was Java was to Sun: transforming the company from one confined to a certain layer into a true systems company that innovates up and down the stack. Heady enough, but if anything this analogy understates the case: Joyent’s development of node.js is not merely an outgrowth of an innovative culture, but also a reflection of a singular focus to deliver on the economies of scale that are the great promise of cloud computing.

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