Setting Off on a Fun Adventure to JavaScript's Beginnings
Back in 1995, a talented programmer at Netscape named Brandan Eich whipped up a cool scripting language called Mocha in just 10 days! Soon after, Mocha transformed into LiveScript. But since Java was all the rage that year, they decided to rename LiveScript to JavaScript, giving it the nickname "Java's younger brother."
Since its humble beginnings, JavaScript has come a long way. So, without further ado, let's dive into why learning the JavaScript programming language (or JS, for short) is so important and how you can get involved with it.
JS: The Ultimate Programming Language Champion!
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The Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2021 revealed that JS has been the top programming language for 9 years in a row! While the survey doesn't exactly explain why developers love JS so much, it does show that it's been widely used among the participants.
In my view, the popularity of JS boils down to its user-friendliness, crystal-clear documentation, wide-ranging development possibilities, and strong community backing. Plus, there's a massive pool of open-source contributors who create awesome libraries and frameworks using JS.
The Incredible Versatility of JS!
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When JS first burst onto the scene, it was exclusively used in the Netscape internet browser. Soon after, Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla, Google Chrome, Opera, and other browsers hopped on the bandwagon. Before Node.js came into existence, front-end developers relied on JS libraries and frameworks like jQuery and AngularJS.
Since Node.js made its debut in 2009, building backend applications with JavaScript has become a reality. This has led to an influx of developers utilizing libraries and frameworks like Express.js, Koa.js, Adonis.js, Hapi, and Restify for Node.js. Thanks to the popular full-stack development approach known as ME(A/R/V)N (MongoDB, Express.js, Angular/React/Vue, Node.js), developers can now create both frontend and backend applications using just JavaScript.
Discover Exciting Features for Your Web Adventures!
Picture this: back in the day, when you wanted to open an e-commerce website, your device had to be connected to the internet to access it. You'd also need to open your email to check notifications from the website, then head back to the site to follow up on those notifications. You might have considered using the mobile app version of the e-commerce site, which offered features like push notifications, secure payments, and offline support.
Now, JavaScript offers an API for an offline-first approach, allowing you to access content even when your device isn't connected to the internet*. It also has an API for registering push notifications in both foreground and background states. Plus, JavaScript has an API to prioritize content based on your network quality. You can explore more features at whatwebcando.today. So, it seems like the web version of e-commerce is just as good as the mobile app, don't you think?
\ You can actually get an offline-first experience if you've visited the website before and checked out a few pages on it.*
Well, that's it from me for now. I'd love to hear your thoughts on why you think learning the JavaScript Programming Language is a good idea!
References
Article with the title Advantage and Disadvantages of JavaScript both from FreeCodeCamp and GeeksforGeeks
Articles inside web.dev like Progressive Web App and Adaptive Serving Based On Network Quality