JavaScript was invented in 1995 by an American programmer and hacker Brendan Eich working for Netscape Communications. This man wanted to embed a script interpreter of the Scheme programming language in Netscape Navigator , one of the most popular web browsers of the 90s. This was due to the need to introduce more dynamics to the browser, and thus make it more technologically attractive. Unfortunately, the company did not like the syntax of the Scheme language - they considered it unattractive. A language more similar to Java, popular at that time, was needed, which would be its scripting complement with a similar syntax.
This is how the prototype was created in 10 days. Brendan mixed three different languages. Netscape required a Java component in the new language. The next ones were Scheme and Self. The whole project was originally called Mocha , but in the next version of the Netscape Navigator 2.0 browser it was called LiveScript . Sun Microsystems (the parent of Java technology) and Netscape Communications created a partnership (joining forces in fear of big competition from Microsoft). Eventually this partnership was broken off, but as a result the final name of the new programming language was created - JavaScript.
Entry threshold
JavaScript is easy when you start learning. It is a high-level language , which makes the syntax simple and understandable for someone who knows the basics of English. The high level of abstraction distances the user from hardware issues. To start your adventure with JS, we do not need a special runtime environment or download the entire language to our hardware. Basically, notepad or any text editor will suffice, but I personally advise against such an ascetic approach
There are many great editors adapted to writing code, such as probably the most popular free solution - Visual Studio Code . The code will also work directly in the console of any web browser, so we can test individual fragments directly there. We will learn the basics needed to start experimenting with JavaScript in even a week.In JS, we do not have a programming paradigm imposed from above, which in my opinion also makes things easier. Comparing it to C#, we lose - at least at the very beginning of our programming adventure - the object-oriented approach, the understanding of which can effectively discourage a beginner. We can write procedurally, object-oriented or functionally , so everyone guatemala telemarketing data can start with the approach they understand best. Other paradigms can be introduced gradually, which will only deepen our knowledge and understanding of JavaScript and make us more versatile on the job market.
There are many interesting JavaScript courses for beginners on the Internet. Many of them are unusual, for example, they take the form of a game or a monthly challenge. Check out our list of the five most interesting JS courses.
JavaScript everywhere
Over 95% of web pages contain JavaScript code in their structure. For most of history, this language was used to introduce dynamics to web pages, malicious actors attribute it only to animations of falling snow on a page or the effect of stars following the mouse cursor.
The change was brought by Node.js , a cross-platform runtime environment created in 2009. Node allows you to create server-side applications - i.e. on the server side. JS thus left the web browser. The node platform gave programmers the ability to write code within one language on the frontend and backend sides. From now on, JavaScript is no longer used only to add interactivity to a website, but also allows you to create mobile applications (React Native), cross-platform desktop applications launched from the desktop (Electron.js), build www servers and create server applications, and even create computer games. So everyone will find something for themselves here.
JS Community
According to StackOverflow statistics, JavaScript reigns supreme in popularity rankings . It is the technology that users ask about most often, but also the most frequently answered. This proves that the JavaScript community is very large and very active. This bodes well for a bright future for the JS language and environment. The presence of such a large forum has led to the creation of countless libraries and ready-made solutions. So most of the problems from the time of learning programming have already been solved and the answers are at your fingertips.
StackOverflow - statistics
Popularity of technologies asked about by StackOverflow users.
A multitude of solutions
What I mean here is the freedom of choice of tools when working as a JavaScript programmer. For example, someone coding web applications using C# will most likely do it using ASP.NET. A Java programmer will most likely use Spring. In both of the above cases, the choice of framework is very limited. Someone coding in JS has a lot of solutions to use. There is even a page showing the time since the last framework was created
There is no single dominant solution. If someone gets bored with writing code in React.js, they can switch to Angular. If they don't like it, we can choose from Vue, Ember, Svelte and countless other frameworks. All these technologies are based on one programming language, so it won't be anything new for us - just familiarize yourself with the documentation of a specific product.
Summary
The lack of stability, or rather the great flexibility of JavaScript is sometimes called a flaw, but for me the weak point of a given language is its dependence on one specific technology. In the JavaScript ecosystem, we can create a stack of libraries, packages and tools that suit us best, and thus consciously choose solutions that are ideally suited to the problem we are solving. It is definitely not a language without flaws, but we should remember what it was originally intended for. I believe that we simply need to be aware of its pains and oddities, and thus avoid incomprehensible errors in our programs.