JavaScript is "Object Oriented" like C++ or Java. (Note that Java and JavaScript are not the same language, which is a common misconception) It also has variables, which makes Javascript much more flexible than HTML. JavaScript originated from JScript, which was developed by Netscape. Now, Netscape and Microsoft have slightly different versions of JavaScipt which can make it quite difficult to get code to work on both browsers. There is large body of JavaScript code that is cross-browser compatible, which is what will be discussed in this course. If you need to use code that is not cross-browser compatible, then you need to detect which browser the surfer is using and provide at least two sets of code for the two different browsers.
Code that is on the Internet is automatically copy-protected. However, most developers don''t mind if you look at their code that is publicly available on the web.
Q: Why Javascript and not some other scripting language?
A: Javascript is already supported in major browsers and does not require a plug in. Also, JavaScript is the only language that can manipulate HTML.
Q: What is the difference between Java and Javascript?
A: They are very different languages that have been developed independently from one another. The reason why their names are similar is because they have one very important feature in common - they are platform independent. In other words, both Java and JavaScript have been designed to work on any operating system and any hardware. One major distinction: JavaScript is 100% interpreted, not compiled. That is, in fact, the definition of a scripting language. Java is both interpreted and compiled.