Designed by: Brendan Eich of Netscape initially; others have also contributed to the ECMAScript standard
First appeared: December 4, 1995
Stable release: ECMAScript 2021 / June 2021
Typing discipline: Dynamic, weak, duck
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JavaScript, often abbreviated as JS, is a programming language that is one of the core technologies of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and CSS. As of 2022, 98% of websites use JavaScript on the client side for webpage behavior, often incorporating third-party libraries.
JavaScript is a programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers. It was first created in 1995 by Brendan Eich at Netscape Communications Corporation and has since become one of the most popular programming languages for web development.
JavaScript can be used to add interactivity to web pages by manipulating the Document Object Model (DOM), which represents the structure and content of a web page. It can also be used to create animations, validate form data, and perform other tasks on the client side of a web application.
JavaScript is a versatile programming language that has a wide range of uses. Some of the most common uses of JavaScript include:
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Client-side web development: JavaScript is primarily used in web development to add interactivity to web pages. It can be used to create animations, validate form data, and create dynamic user interfaces.
Server-side web development: With the advent of Node.js, JavaScript can also be used on the server side to create fast and scalable web applications.
Mobile application development: JavaScript is used in frameworks such as React Native to build cross-platform mobile applications.
Game development: JavaScript can be used to create browser-based games and mobile games using frameworks such as Phaser and Babylon.js.
Desktop application development: JavaScript can be used with frameworks such as Electron to build cross-platform desktop applications.
Internet of Things (IoT): JavaScript can be used to build applications that interact with IoT devices, such as smart home devices and wearables.
History of Javascript
JavaScript was created by Brendan Eich in just 10 days in May 1995 while he was working at Netscape Communications Corporation. The initial name for the language was Mocha, which was later changed to LiveScript, and finally to JavaScript. The name "JavaScript" was chosen in part because of the popularity of the then-new language Java.
JavaScript was initially created to add interactivity to static HTML pages on the client side. The first version of JavaScript was implemented in Netscape Navigator 2.0 in September 1995. Microsoft quickly created a rival implementation called JScript for Internet Explorer 3.0.
In 1996, Netscape submitted JavaScript to the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) to create a standardized specification for the language. The result was the first version of the ECMAScript standard in 1997. Since then, several versions of ECMAScript have been released, with the latest version being ECMAScript 2022.
JavaScript has become one of the most popular programming languages in the world, with a large and active community of developers creating new libraries, frameworks, and tools to make development easier and more efficient. Today, JavaScript is used not only for client-side web development, but also for server-side web development, mobile application development, game development, and more.
