- Many more people are aware of Java than of JavaScript, often because they were asked to install Java at some point in time.
- That’s not necessarily a good thing for Java, because it is frequently associated with negative things. JavaScript has become such an implicit part of the web that people aren’t even aware that it exists.
What is JavaScript?
So how to best explain what JavaScript is to non-programmers? Some technically interested non-programmers have heard of HTML5, for example, because they have seen the icon [1] somewhere. Then JavaScript can be explained as the programming language behind HTML5. The follow-up questions are usually: “But what is HTML5? Isn’t it a replacement for Flash?” The latter question is not a bad place to start with an answer, because it is a replacement in some ways, but not in others. Without HTML5, one can explain JavaScript via web applications:Traditionally, we only had applications on our computers, now we can also run them “on the web”, inside our web browsers. Web applications that you have probably used are Google Maps and Facebook. Those are real applications, not merely websites, and they are written in JavaScript. Furthermore, Java and JavaScript are completely different languages. At one point, Java was supposed to be the core technology of web applications, with JavaScript in a supporting role. But that has completely changed: Java has now practically disappeared from browsers and JavaScript is the language of the web.After those explanations, feel free to mention the Cloud, because many people have heard that word. Alas, the Cloud means many different things. The explanation I normally use is: online data storage plus synchronization [2].
A more tongue-in-cheek explanation (borrowing from @starian):
Question: So, Java and JavaScript are different?
Answer: Yes, just like ham and hamster.
6 comments:
"ham and hamster" is good. I only knew "car and carpet" so far.
That "difference between Java and JavaScript" question is a pet peeve of mine. If someone knows enough to be aware of the terms "Java" and "JavaScript", then with just a little extra reading, they can easily learn what the difference is. It would be like asking, "What's the difference between digital and analog?" Um, if you don't know, then why are you trying to use those terms at all?
As Mark Twain said "The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and lightning bug.'
dog and hotdog
Me thinks that HTML5 is a better shield to use. Unless you are strictly a NodeJS developers (and even then) then JS alone isn't enough to help you master the web. Semantic HTML and understanding CSS (not just CSS3) are two additional piece that you must understand. CSS especially plays a wicked-important role in modern responsive designing for mobile. HTML5 is a better shield. I have heard others call it "The Open Web", which I think casts a slightly wider net than HTML5, and seems more appropriate.
Yes, HTML5 is an important complementary technology. It’s the initial reason for JavaScript’s popularity. But I’m also fascinated by how JavaScript, only as a language, is becoming more and more useful.
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