Introduction to JavaScript

We will now enter into a new region of web development, programming. What we have done so far is markup and styling, but with the programming language JavaScript we can create dynamic web applications that react on user interaction in a far more flexible way.

JavaScript was created in 10 days in May 1995 by Brendan Eich. The name JavaScript have nothing to do with Java, but was chosen as a marketing move, to ride on Java's fame wave.

JavaScript is the language of the web, implemented in all major browsers. And as history progresses, the implementations also converge on one standard.

In the following sections I will write examples with code. In some instances, these code blocks will be followed by the characters ">>" on a new line. This means that the output from the code is whatever follows the ">>" characters.

I would also recommend that you pick up the book Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke. You can find the ebook for free here, or by it from Amazon, Bookdepository, or wherever you by your books. Reading the book is time well spent when you try to learn JavaScript, either for the first time, or the nth time. The book was consulted while writing this curriculum.