JavaScript
Very often we confuse ourselves with JavaScript and Java. However, both are programming languages but quite independent of each other. However, it is an interpreted language but uses a blend of the compiler to be able to get the best performance. The source code is passed through a program called a compiler, which translates it into bytecode that the machine understands and can execute. The code has to be compiled by the machine and interpreted for human understanding or consumption.
JavaScript is a very powerful but lightweight front-end development language for web applications. Looking at the history of JavaScript, it was created in 1995 by Brendan Eich while he was an engineer at Netscape. JavaScript was first released with Netscape 2 early in 1996. It was originally called LiveScript, but it was renamed JavaScript to cash on the popularity of Sun Microsystem’s Java language, which was taken over by Oracle Plc.
JavaScript is sometimes confused with ECMAScript, which is an European Computer Manufacturers Association known for setting standards for the Information Technology Industry. The ECMAScript merely refers to the organisation’s approval of JavaScript. Since that edition, there have been many revisions and editions of the Script and are published annually. The most and current ones are the 2019 – ECMAScript 2019 (ES2019) and ECMAScript 2020(ES2020), which is the 11th edition and released in June 2020.
As JavaScript is an integral part of web development and applications, all browsers and web editors are embedded with the JavaScript engine. You can read, write, code, and run on any editor and web browsers such as Firefox, Google, Chrome, Internet Explorer, and the host of them without the need for installing and configuring the JavaScript engine.
JavaScript is as popular as the World Wide Web because it is used in almost all websites and apps all over the world. The first point of contact of the World Wide Web is HTML and followed by CSS and thirdly the JavaScript. It is a dynamic language and used by creative organisations for movies, games, animations, images, and other interactive applications such as emails, live chats, and other applications.
JavaScript’s engineers are sought all over the world, and there is no limit to what you can do with JavaScript with a creative mind. It is in the top five programming languages in the world.