ARCHIVED: What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is an object-oriented scripting language developed by Netscape Communications for client/server applications. JavaScript is not the same as Java, although the languages do have similar syntax.
There are two types of JavaScript:
- Navigator (client-side) JavaScript
- LiveWire (server-side) JavaScript
Navigator JavaScript
All versions of Netscape Navigator starting with version 2.0 are capable of interpreting JavaScript statements that are part of an HTML document. When a remote site sends a document containing JavaScript statements, your browser executes these statements, producing the results you see.
LiveWire JavaScript
LiveWire refers to a development environment for creating server-based applications using JavaScript. These applications are similar to CGI scripts in their behavior.
Basic differences between JavaScript and Java
- JavaScript is an interpreted language, while Java code is compiled before you download it.
- JavaScript does not support classes or inheritance.
- JavaScript has "loose typing"; that is, you don't need to specify the data types of variables.
- More browsers support Java than JavaScript.
This document is loosely based on information obtained from Netscape's JavaScript Guide:
http://wp.netscape.com/eng/mozilla/3.0/handbook/javascript/
This is document adtz in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2023-09-22 17:58:15.