JavaScript is NOT only a web programming language!

Noobs. Discuss.

 

Well, what do you think it is? I don't think there are enough use-cases to consider it anything else than a web programming language. Yes, there are other uses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JavaScript#Uses_outside_web_pages). Chiefly, I've seen it often used in PDF files and the new Adobe AIR, but I don't think it has reached any sort of maturity to be considered, for example, an application programming language.

 

Noobs? Well guess what, you're still posting in the wrong section, idiot! Even though Javascript isn't always used in the web, this is still the Java section! It would still belong in the Web Programming section because that's meant for Javascript!

Anyways, Javascript was meant for the web. There are languages that are being used for the web, and off of it. PHP, a web language, can be used locally from the command line. Perl, generally for the command line, can be used in web applications! You see? There are no limitations for any language!

(Note: The only reason Javascript is being used is because a lot of people won't have to go through the trouble of learning an entirely new scripting language + it's easier on the developers)

 

JavaScript is just a scripting language, it can be applied to almost anything given the correct API.

 

I have seen it used in a chat program. The moderators can do really anything they want. It also responds to CSS and HTML. Its kinda cool. You can be attacked with an infi loop of anything though... lul

 

Thanks Swan

With powerful VM's like V8, Rhino, SquirrelFish, and TraceMonkey we will see more and more usage of JS as a general purpose language.

The language itself is extremely powerful and expressive (moreso than Java).

 

While I know that JS is extremely powerful, it still has a long way to go before it can become a general purpose language. V8, SquirrelFish, and TraceMonkey are helping to bridge the speed gap between JS and native code, but these are still primarily embedded in browsers. Rhino bridges a language gap, so people certainly can use that (although I would suspect converting some closures to classes suffers some performance hit if you are into that), but it is just not as popular as the traditional application programming languages.

What you'll notice is that I did not say JS cannot be used for other purposes. I only said that it is too early to start talking about it like it is.

 

I doubt that - Java is an application development language, JavaScript is just a scripting language. A scripting language is only as good as the way it is implemented - JavaScript in web pages can only dynamically display content and in some cases interface with the web browser, JavaScript in Windows Script files can only execute the functions given by Windows, and so on.

 

Swan, actually, no. ECMAScript is ECMAScript, DOM and other extensions are separate.

 

That is the idea. JavaScript is useful on the web because it is bound to the DOM. I have not seen a JavaScript implementation of application GUI, for example (except perhaps AIR).

 

Zyloch, you can use JS with Rhino to code Swing, SWT or AWT, for example.

Also, don't forget Flash/ActionScript.

 

Wrong forum. Why would anyone want to use JS to code swing/awt over Java? WHY?

 

Personally, I have never used Rhino, so I don't know how efficient it is translating some of the features of JavaScript that Java does not have. You are probably right in that Rhino would provide some API for Java GUI through JavaScript, but in this case JavaScript is still jumping off of Java -- it hasn't developed its own identity.

ActionScript... meh... that still has fairly limited use and relies completely on the Flash plugin. I see JavaScript being extended in use but still not to the point of being general use.

 

I agree, especially due to Javascript being so lenient with variables and programming errors that can lead to hard to find problems.

 

ive made a java virus before

 

Like that CD Tray Opener that you made, right?

Java is not the same as Javascript. Seeing as you would make such an elementary mistake, it's clear that you have not made any "virus" before, or know how one works at all.

 

thats actualy quite impressive, those are pretty hard/almost impossible to make

cuz ive seen many pro's at java try, and they all fail at it lol

closest they can do is a DDoS'ing program, works pretty gud, shuts down ppl's computers if u no there ip lol, fun 2 use, lol its like a big game...

but ya, i use java almost daily, since i run a java powered game (rsps (silabgarza))
its all java, most of the java is in the client, which i suk at coding... the clients r not easy 2 make....

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