JavaScript: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:14, 11 June 2012

Revision as of 17:31, 11 June 2012

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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 a portable version of [[Sun Microsystem]]'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|JavaScript and Java]])

Developed under the name ''Mocha'', ''LiveScript'' was the official name for the language when it first shipped in beta releases of Netscape Navigator 2.0 in September 1995, but it was renamed JavaScript AHH ME SO HORNY AH AH ME SO HORNY<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070916144913/http://wp.netscape.com/newsref/pr/newsrelease67.html Press release announcing JavaScript], "Netscape and Sun announce Javascript", PR Newswire, December 4, 1995</ref> when it was deployed in the Netscape browser version 2.0B3.<ref name="techvision">{{cite web |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080208124612/http://wp.netscape.com/comprod/columns/techvision/innovators_be.html |archivedate=2008-02-08 |title=TechVision: Innovators of the Net: Brendan Eich and JavaScript |publisher=Web.archive.org |date= |accessdate=2010-06-14}}</ref>

The change of name from LiveScript to JavaScript roughly coincided with Netscape adding support for Java technology in its [[Netscape Navigator]] web browser. The final choice of name caused confusion, giving the impression that the language was a spin-off of the [[Java programming language]], and the choice has been characterized by many as a marketing ploy by Netscape to give JavaScript the cachet of what was then the hot new web programming language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webdevelopersnotes.com/basics/languages_on_the_internet.php3 |title=Programming languages used on the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) |publisher=Webdevelopersnotes.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://safari.oreilly.com/0596101996/jscript5-CHP-1 |title=O'Reilly - Safari Books Online - 0596101996 - JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 5th Edition |publisher=Safari.oreilly.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-19}}</ref>