I'm [learning node.js](http://recoding.blogspot.com/2012/11/source-saturday-in-which-i-learn-node.html) and am trying out Express. My first app had this code:

```
var express = require('express')
  , routes = require('./routes')
  , user = require('./routes/user')
  , http = require('http')
  , path = require('path');

```

Reading through the [mongoose tutorial](http://mongoosejs.com/docs/index.html) gives me this:

```
var mongoose = require('mongoose')
  , db = mongoose.createConnection('localhost', 'test');

```

On strict mode, JSHint gives me

> 
> app.js: line 6, col 32, Bad line breaking before ','.
> 
> 
> 

Which shows that I'm not the only one out there who's bugged by this syntax.

Is there any reason to declare `var`s this way instead of adding the comma at the end of the line?