Introduction to JavaScript
JavaScript is the language of the web; it is the only programming language that a browser can understand.
Brief History of JavaScript
Here is a brief history of JavaScript, one of the most influential programming languages on the web:
- 1995 - Creation of JavaScript: JavaScript was developed by Brendan Eich at Netscape Communications. Originally, it was called Mocha, then renamed to LiveScript, and finally to JavaScript (after some unfortunate lobbying by Sun Microsystems, which was releasing Java at the same time). JavaScript was designed to make web pages interactive;
- 1996 - Adoption by Microsoft: Microsoft adopted JavaScript for its Internet Explorer browser, under the name JScript, to avoid trademark issues with Netscape;
- 1997 - ECMAScript Standardization: JavaScript was standardized by ECMA International in the ECMAScript specification. This standardization aimed to ensure interoperability between different implementations of the language;
- 2000s and 2010s - Proliferation and Evolution: JavaScript gained popularity with the rise of the Web. Libraries and frameworks such as prototype (2005), jQuery (2006), AngularJS (2010), React (2013), and Vue.js (2014), Svelte (2016), and many others were created to facilitate JavaScript development;
- 2009 - node.js: Introduction of node.js by Ryan Dahl, allowing JavaScript to run on the server side, which expanded the capabilities and uses of the language;
- 2015 and beyond - ECMAScript Updates: ECMAScript 6 (ES6), released in 2015, introduced many important new features (such as classes, modules, promises, and arrow functions). Since then, annual ECMAScript updates have continued to bring new improvements and features;
- Current Trend: JavaScript is now one of the most widely used programming languages in the world, essential for front-end web development and increasingly popular for back-end development, mobile application development, and even in some areas of the Internet of Things (IoT) and game development.
JavaScript has played a key role in the evolution of the Web, evolving from a simple scripting language to animate web pages to a full-fledged, robust programming language used to develop complex and high-performance web applications.
Official Resources
The indispensable resource for any web developer is the MDN (Mozilla Developer Network)