The JavaScript Pocket Guide

Between e-mail applications, social networking sites, online word proces-
sors, and mobile Web browsers, the Internet is becoming more useful
and more powerful every day. A lot of that power comes from JavaScript,
a quirky little language available on nearly every computer in the world
through browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and
Chrome. Brendan Eich created the language for the Netscape browser
in 1995, naming it after Java even though the languages have only
super ficial similarities. Its formal name is ECMAScript, governed by the
European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA), which published
the fifth edition of the language in December 2009.
JavaScript is a scripting language , meaning it gives you the ability to
control an environment with code. In the case of JavaScript, the environ -
ment is usually a Web page in a browser, where you can react to the
mouse and keyboard, create and animate elements on the page, commu-
nicate with servers, and much more.
Why JavaScript Is Cool
The following are the reasons why JavaScript is cool—or at least why I
think it’s cool:
■
     Low barrier to entry. Anyone can start writing and testing JavaScript
code with software they already have on their computer.
■

     Easy of deployment. All you need to include JavaScript on your Web
site is a server to store the code files and the <script> tag.
■

    Small language, big power. The language has a relatively small
number of features, but its flexibility and expressiveness lets you
accomplish a great deal.
■

    The quirkiness. JavaScript has a lot of little oddities and flaws that
I find fascinating. It seems like I learn a new nuance to the language
every week. Some nuances are even useful!
■
    The language of the moment. JavaScript is becoming more impor -
tant and more powerful as our lives are increasingly impacted by the
Internet.
■
    The community. I’m continually amazed at the brilliance and ingenu-
ity of the JavaScript community, most of whom release their code for
anyone to use for free.

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