4.3 JavaScript

http://home.netscape.com/comprod/products/navigator/version_2.0/script/script_info/index.html

In addition to Java, Netscape and Sun also develop JavaScript, formerly called "LiveScript", a cross-platform object scripting language for the creation and customization of applications on enterprise networks and the Internet. The initial version of JavaScript is available as part of the Netscape Navigator 2.0 browser.

JavaScript is an easier-to-use object scripting language designed for creating live on-line applications that link together objects and resources on both clients and servers. Java programs and JavaScript scripts are designed to run on both clients and servers, with JavaScript scripts used to modify the properties and behavior of Java objects. JavaScript is analogous to Visual Basic in that it can be used by people with little or no programming experience to quickly construct simple applications.

Table I.1 Comparison between Java and JavaScript (adapted from Netscape)

With JavaScript, an HTML page might contain an intelligent form that performs loan payment or currency exchange calculations right on the client in response to user input. A multimedia weather forecast applet written in Java can be scripted by JavaScript to display appropriate images and sounds based on the current weather readings in a region. A server-side JavaScript script might pull data out of a relational database and format it in HTML on the fly.

Netscape and Sun plan to propose JavaScript to the W3 Consortium (W3C) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as an open Internet scripting language standard.