Netscape and Sun Announce JavaScript: The New Era of Web Scripting
Date: December 4, 1995
In a significant move, Netscape Communications Corporation and Sun Microsystems, Inc. unveiled JavaScript, an open, cross-platform object scripting language tailored for developing and customizing applications on enterprise networks and the Internet. This new scripting language complements Java, Sun’s renowned object-oriented, cross-platform programming language. The debut version of JavaScript has been integrated into the beta release of Netscape Navigator 2.0, which is currently accessible for download from Netscape’s website.
Furthermore, a coalition of 28 industry giants, including Apple Computer, Inc., Oracle Corporation, and Hewlett-Packard Company, have endorsed JavaScript as an open standard object scripting language, signaling their intent to incorporate it into upcoming products. The draft specification for JavaScript and the final draft specification for Java is slated for publication and will be submitted to relevant standards bodies for industry feedback.
JavaScript is crafted to be user-friendly, enabling the creation of dynamic online applications that interconnect objects and resources on both client and server sides. While Java is the go-to for developers to create new objects and applets, JavaScript is aimed at HTML page authors and enterprise application developers to dynamically script the behavior of objects, either on the client or server side.