What is Javascript then?
What is Java?
For any budding web developers, Javascript is a programming used that was developed in 1995 by Netscape to connect Java with various scripting languages.
Javscript and Java are two different computer languages, both developed in the same year. Java is object oriented that essentially means it can run on it’s own in a server environment. It is a very versatile and powerful language that is also a hard one to learn. If you know C++ or C# then your skills should be transferable to make the switch much easier. Java runs on many machines all over the workd, from enterprise systems, android apps, payment processing technologies and all manner of other software. It is also big in the IoT arena which has become a very popular and growing industry as of late (internet of things).
Conversely, Java script is a lightweight text based programming language that is designed to run within a web based application environment. It was originally meant to be a Java addon, but it soon took on a life of it’s own and become one of the three main pillars of any web development project; the other two being html and css.
Javascript is designed to integrate into html and all major web browsers support this, though many offer the option to disable js if preferred. But Java needs to be compiled before it will run in web based environments.
Coding in and using Javascript
The good thing about .js is that you don’t have to be a coder to be able to use it in your web code as there are numerous prewritten javascripts available online, that perform various functions. This makes basic javascript integration as simple as copy and pasting into your code.
Javascript only needs a plain text editor as it is an interpreted language (eg it is interpreted on the fly by the browser) but something like Markdown editor can make the task a lot easier.’
Javascript V HTML
JS and html are essentially complimentary languages. HTML being a markup language which defines static webpage content. It is the underpinning language that gives a webpage it’s content. Javascript works within the html and performs dynamic tasks within the webpage, for example a search box or animation of some type. Javascript is included in to an html page by using a tag that calls the .js file.
JS can often be in multiple files included in the same webpage, and on other webpages within a site. On page SEO needs to factor in js load times, and sometimes lazy load (or delayed load) is required to give the best user experience.
PHP V Javascript
PHP V JavascriptPHP is a tried and tested server side language that enables data transfer from server to application and back again. Calling a phpinfo.php file like this can tell you what version of PHP is running on your webserver. Many CMS (content management systems) use php like wordpress or the less popular drupal or joomla.
PHP is the most common server side language used in web apps bit the burgeoning use of node.js is gaining a strong following as it is more streamlined than PHP.
