Introduction

Javascript is undoubtedly bit weird at times. However for me, that's what makes it special. Javascript has 6 or 7 (depending upon how you count) primitive types. They are

• string
• number
• boolean
• object
• symbol (new in es6)
• Null and undefined

Now if you have met javascript before, you know that her variables don't have a type. It's the value that has a type. To find that type we use typeof.

var u;
typeof u; //undefined

var a = "inder";
typeof a;  // string

var b =  true;
typeof b; //boolean

However if you run typeof on a null value, it returns object, something you won't expect from a primitive type.

var i = NULL;
typeof i; //object 

This is a bug that exists since the beginning of javascript. The reason that this bug exists is simple. Each javascript value has a type tag. First 1-3 bits of each value are reserved for it's type. The type tags for different types were as follows: -

• 000 - object

• 001 - int

• 010 - double

• 100 - string

• 110 - boolean

• To define undefined they used a special number 2 ^-30

• To define null NULL pointer was used.

After the type tage folows the actual value. typeof got confused between zeros of null pointer and 000 tag of object and thus the bug.

Why isn't this bug removed?

It would have been removed in EcmaScript 6, but the proposal got rejected because of a lot of old javascript code that relies on it. So for now, we are stuck with it.