JavaScript (JS) is one of the top popular programming languages on the modern Web. The development of AJAX technology (“Asynchronous JavaScript and XML”) has brought even more attention to this programming language.
JavaScript programming was originally designed as part of web browsers for client-side scripts to communicate asynchronously, control the browser, and allow the user to interact with web pages. In other words, Javascript is a client-side language with processing engine embedded in web browsers like Netscape, Internet Explorer, Firefox.
Google’s Chrome extensions, Opera’s extensions, Yahoo! Widgets, Google Desktop Gadgets, Apple’s Safari 5 extensions are implemented using JavaScript. jQuery and Prototype are popular JavaScript libraries.
JavaScript usage outside of web pages is one more very good feature of this programming language. It can be used in PDF files, desktop widgets. The most common use of JavaScript is writing functions that are embedded in HTML and interact with the DOM (Document Object Model).
JavaScript Programming
Javascript adds more features and dynamic functions to HTML. On the whole, the idea behind the JavaScript programming is providing the users with an increased satisfaction and enhanced experience on a website making an application more interactive and responsive.
JavaScript was originally developed in Netscape under the official name LiveScript. The final choice of “JavaScript” name caused a misconception that the language was a version of the Java programming language. However, although both have a C-like syntax, JavaScript and Java are different programming languages. The syntax of JavaScript was influenced by one more widely used imperative programming language C. Thus, JavaScript is a multi-paradigm, prototype-based, object-oriented, imperative, and functional language. Although the -Script suffix suggests that it is a scripting language, not a real programming language.
Let’s take a closer look at JavaScript programming features. JavaScript programming usage examples include:
• Loading the content or submitting data to the server via Asynchronous JavaScript and XML technology without refreshing the web page • Manipulating web page elements, animation, moving or resizing elements, etc. • Game development, audio/video, interactive content using and developing • Performing web form validations and different calculations • Much more
Learn JavaScript
The latest version of the language is JavaScript 1.8.5. JavaScript is the widely supported client-side language that runs within a web browser, so it has become an intermediate language for other programming languages. So, if you are an absolute beginner or a newbie programmer, JavaScript is a very good programming language to start developing your coding skills. For those just starting out with web programming and web application development, learning JavaScript allows to understand the nature of web programming as a whole, know how to develop dynamic applications, gain increased interest and technical knowledge for learning PHP programming and other top programming languages.