If you are learning programming most probably you have heard about Javascript a lot of time. As of 2020, Javascript is arguably the most popular programming language to ever exist. Let’s see what is so special about Javascript, what we can achieve with it.
What is Javascript and where is it used?
Javascript is the language that make web pages alive. Along with HTML and CSS, it is one of the core component of web technologies. While HTML is responsible for structure of a web page and CSS is responsible for style, Javascript bring interactivity and behavior to web pages.
By means of interactivity whenever you see a web page does more than sit there and show some static information, you can bet that Javascript is involved there. It allows you to dynamically update your content, control multimedia, change your style on the go and a lot more than that.
Briefly Javascript is a scripting language that allows you to implement complex features on web pages.
If you don’t know what a scripting language is, basically it is also a programming language. The difference between the two is that scripting languages do not require the compilation step but rather interpreted. For example, a C program must needs to be compiled before running but a scripting language like Javascript or PHP need not be compiled.
Why is it called Javascript?
A lot of developer on their early stages of learning programming have the same confusion about the Javascript and Java. They are completely different programming languages. The reason why the names looks similar is a result of a marketing tactic when the Javascript first created in 1995. It was first named as LiveScript and then Netscape changed its name to Javascript because of the popularity of Java in that time. It also known as ECMAScript after its standardization in 1997.
Why Javascript is so popular and widely used?
It has been the most commonly used programming language in Stackoverflow's Developer Survey
There are quite a few reasons why Javascript is so popular. Some of the reasons why JS is so popular are:
- First of all it is an essential part of the web so learning Javascript is crucial for anyone who wants to become a web developer.
- It is easy to learn Javascript. You don’t need any environment setup to write Js. Just open up your browsers Developer Tools, and start coding. It is as easy as this:
console.log("Hello world!")
- It is a flexible language that can run almost everywhere. It is used for both front-end and back-end development. Also you can build mobile apps with Javascript.
- It has a powerful developer community behind and it is growing more and more.
- It’s standardized and frequently updated with new versions.
- It provide a great career opportunity. As more companies go digital, there is a great demand for people skilled in JavaScript.
Conclusion
Either you want to dive into programming or web development, Javascript is an excellent language to learn. Things you can do with Javascript are immense.
Top comments (1)
It is, but, it falls under the infamous subcategory of "scripting languages", which, technically, by definition are PLs.
Though, this could just be satire, and I could be wooshed.