tech
In 1995, a Netscape employee wrote a hack in 10 days that now runs the Internet
Thirty years later, JavaScript is the glue that holds the interactive web together, warts and all.
TL;DR
- JavaScript was announced 30 years ago by Netscape Communications and Sun Microsystems.
- It originated from a 10-day sprint by engineer Brendan Eich in May 1995.
- JavaScript now powers approximately 98.9% of websites with client-side code.
- The language is used beyond browsers for server backends, mobile apps, desktop software, and embedded systems.
- It consistently ranks among the most widely used programming languages.
- Eich drew influences from Java (for syntax), Scheme, and Self (for its object model).
- The name 'JavaScript' was a marketing decision to associate with Java's popularity.
- JavaScript and Java are distinct languages; the former uses dynamic typing and prototype-based inheritance, while Java uses static typing and class-based objects.
- The language was standardized as ECMAScript by ECMA International in June 1997.
- AJAX in 2005 and Node.js in 2009 revitalized and expanded JavaScript's scope.
- Recent surveys show JavaScript remains the most popular programming language, with TypeScript also growing.
- There is a community effort to free the JavaScript trademark from Oracle's ownership.
- The underlying language has persisted far longer than expected, outliving many early endorsing companies.