JavaScript: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 03:42, 25 April 2012

Revision as of 10:21, 25 April 2012

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{{quote box|width = 200px|Anyway I know only one [[programming language]] worse than [[C (programming language)|C]] and that is Javascript. [...] I was convinced that we needed to build-in a programming language, but the developers, [[Tim Berners-Lee|Tim]] first, were very much opposed. It had to remain completely declarative. Maybe, but the net result is that the programming-vacuum filled itself with the most horrible [[kludge|kluge]] in the history of computing: Javascript.|[[Robert Cailliau]]<ref>[[wikinews:Wikinews:Story preparation/Interview with Robert Cailliau]]</ref>}}

=== Birth at Netscape ===

JavaScript was originally developed in Netscape, by [[Brendan Eich]]. Battling with Microsoft over the Internet, Netscape considered their client-server solution as a distributed OS, running portable Sun's Java. Because Java was a competitor of C++ and aimed at professional programmers, Netscape also wanted a lightweight interpreted language that would complement Java by appealing to nonprofessional programmers, like Microsoft's VB.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Severance |first=Charles |year=2012 |month=February |title=Java Script: Designing a Language in 10 Days |journal=Computer |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=7-8 |publisher=IEEE Computer Society |url=http://www.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/abs/html/mags/co/2012/02/mco2012020007.htm |accessdate=23 April 2012 }}</ref> (see [[#JavaScript and Java]])

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It has also been claimed{{citation}} that the language's name is the result of a co-marketing deal between [[Netscape]] and [[Sun Microsystems|Sun]], in exchange for Netscape bundling Sun's Java runtime with its [[Usage share of web browsers#GVU WWW user survey (1994-01 to 1998-10)|then-dominant browser]].

===Server-side JavaScript===

JavaScript very quickly gained widespread success as a client-side scripting language for web pages. As a consequence, [[Microsoft]] named its implementation [[JScript]] to avoid trademark issues. JScript added new date methods to fix the [[Year 2000 problem|Y2K]]-problematic methods in JavaScript, which were based on Java's <code>[http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/api/java/util/Date.html java.util.Date]</code> class.<ref name="popularity">{{cite web|url=http://brendaneich.com/2008/04/popularity/ |title=Popularity |author=Brendan Eich |date=3 April 2008 |accessdate=2012-01-19}}</ref> JScript was included in [[Internet Explorer]] 3.0, released in August 1996.

Meanwhile, Netscape also introduced the language for server-side scripting in [[Netscape Enterprise Server]], first released in December, 1994<ref>{{cite web|title=Server-Side JavaScript Guide|publisher=Netscape Communications Corporation|year=1998|chapter=Chapter 2: Getting Started|url=http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19957-01/816-6411-10/getstart.htm|accessdate=2012-04-25}}</ref>

<ref>{{cite web|title=Using Netscape™ LiveWire™, Special Edition|author=Mike Morgan|chapter=Chapter 6: Netscape Internet Application Framework|url=http://vampire.rulez.org/onlinedoc/book/NetscapeLiveWire/ch6.htm}}</ref>.

===Adoption by Microsoft===

JavaScript very quickly gained widespread success as a client-side scripting language for web pages.

[[Microsoft]] introduced JavaScript support in its own web browser, [[Internet Explorer]], in version 3.0, released in August 1996.<ref name="popularity">{{cite web|url=http://brendaneich.com/2008/04/popularity/ |title=Popularity |author=Brendan Eich |date=3 April 2008 |accessdate=2012-01-19}}</ref>

Microsoft's webserver, [[Internet Information Server]], introduced support for server-side scripting in JavaScript with release 3.0 (1996).

Microsoft started to promote webpage scripting using the umbrella term [[Dynamic HTML]].

Microsoft's JavaScript implementation was later renamed to [[JScript]] to avoid trademark issues.

JScript added new date methods to fix the [[Year 2000 problem|Y2K]]-problematic methods in JavaScript, which were based on Java's <code>[http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.2/docs/api/java/util/Date.html java.util.Date]</code> class.

===Standardization===

In November 1996, Netscape announced that it had submitted JavaScript to [[Ecma International]] for consideration as an industry standard, and subsequent work resulted in the standardized version named [[ECMAScript]].<ref>[http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/files/ECMA-ST/Ecma-262.pdf ECMAScript 3rd Edition specification]</ref>

===Later developments==

JavaScript has become one of the most popular programming languages on the web. Initially, however, many professional programmers denigrated the language because its target audience was web authors and other such "amateurs", among other reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crockford.com/javascript/javascript.html |title=JavaScript: The World's Most Misunderstood Programming Language |publisher=Crockford.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-19}}</ref> The advent of [[Ajax (programming)|Ajax]] returned JavaScript to the spotlight and brought more professional programming attention. The result was a proliferation of comprehensive [[List of JavaScript libraries|frameworks and libraries]], improved JavaScript programming practices, and increased usage of JavaScript outside of web browsers, as seen by the proliferation of [[server-side JavaScript]] platforms.

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== Trademark ==

Today, "JavaScript" is a [[trademark]] of [[Oracle Corporation]].<ref>{{cite web|title=USPTO Copyright entry #75026640|url=http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=75026640|publisher=USPTO}}</ref> It is used under license for technology invented and implemented by Netscape Communications and current entities such as the [[Mozilla Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Sun Trademarks|url=http://www.sun.com/suntrademarks/|publisher=Sun Microsystems|accessdate=2007-11-08}}</ref>

== Features ==