What Makes JavaScript Interesting?
JavaScript is one of most popular programming languages, however there were interesting flexion of history. JavaScript was created at Netscape in 1995. It was known as Mocha, the name was given by Marc Andreessen, whom is founder of Netscape.
Netscape wanted to make it small programming language that runs right in the browser, instead of having to make up new HTML tags. Netscape wanted an easy and accessible language to work for the web browser since Java was the leading programming language of that time.It was difficult to learn Java. Brendan Eich at Netscape was able to create a programming language that could instruct the computer on how to interact with the user upon receiving user input. They called this language “Livescript” and integrated it directly into Navigator.
This meant that the browser was literally interpreting the commands of the user; the code didn’t have to be compiled, and a plug-in was not required. Another programming language, Java, was gaining popularity around the same time, even though Java required a separate plug-in to function. Netscape saw the opportunity and renamed their language “JavaScript.” JavaScript was indispensable in the early days of the Internet.
Brendan Eich says in an interview about JavaScript “If I had done classes in JavaScript back in May 1995, I would have been told that it was too much like Java or that JavaScript was competing with Java … I was under marketing orders to make it look like Java but not make it too big for its britches … [it] needed to be a silly little brother language.”
Eich already had a history of creating programming languages. When he was just a student, he built new languages to experiment with syntax. And at Silicon Graphics, he made new languages that were used to build extensions for network monitoring tools. It turns out he was the right person for the job, because JavaScript is now the most widely used programming language in the world.
Eventually, JavaScript became capable of performing database queries and other advanced features and therefore received more attention from professional developers. These abilities were important because they allowed for a richer web-experience where web development and usage became much quicker and more efficient.
Today, JavaScript has become one of the most used programming languages. It has enough flexibility to overcome its weaknesses and is used everywhere. Nearly all the websites you visit today contain code written in JavaScript. When combining advantages like being a relatively easy language.
Why JavaScript is a great programming language to learn
Because, People will be able to execute programs on desktop and mobile devices (phones, tablets). You only create one version of the program and it will run on Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, Android etc.
Many websites will allow you to upload your programs to the internet for free (just like uploading/creating a webpage) — your program will instantly be accessible to anyone in the world.
Because there is really no alternative to JS on the horizon, chances are JS will be supported for many years to come.
What is the Differences Between Java and JavaScript
Both Java and JavaScript are written, assembled and executed differently, and each has dramatic differences when it comes to what it is capable of doing.
Java is used in a wide range of places, including Android apps, credit card programming and in the creation of desktop applications and web enterprise applications. By comparison, JavaScript is mainly used to make web pages more interactive. It can be used as an alternative to Flash, though most programmers will tell you that JavaScript is more popular and has more functionality than Flash. JavaScript can be used to do neat things like creating animation in HTML.
In a nutshell, when it comes to how each language is used, Java is typically used for all server side development, while JavaScript is reserved for developing client side scripts for functions like validation and interactivity. There are some other key differences:
- Java code must be compiled, and JavaScript code is all-text.
- Each language requires different plug-ins.
- JavaScript code is run on a browser only, while Java creates applications that run in a virtual machine or browser.
- Java is an OOP (object-oriented programming) language, and JavaScript is specifically an OOP scripting language.
