A developer reflects on Deno's original appeal — zero-config TypeScript, web-standard APIs, and an integrated toolchain — and expresses concern about its strategic drift toward Node.js compatibility. The author draws a parallel to IBM's OS/2 mistake, arguing that the more Deno mimics Node.js, the less reason library authors have to target Deno specifically. Meanwhile, Node.js has been adopting Deno's innovations (native TypeScript, permission model, fetch, Web Crypto). The author speculates that VC funding pressures are pushing Deno toward faster-visible growth over the patient development of a truly self-sufficient ecosystem. Despite still building Deno-first, the author has already made pragmatic retreats — using node:test for cross-runtime testing and node:sqlite over Deno KV — and worries what Deno looks like to developers with no prior attachment to it.
