The rise of Javascript

Way back when ASP.Net was first released, many web developers saw the postback as a replacement for JavaScript. Back then, it was easy to hate JavaScript, with its unfriendly DOM and its different behaviour in the various browsers. However, the launch of GMail demonstrated to internet users how a rich UI could be delivered over the web, and JavaScript was the essential component in most Web 2.0 applications.

With the growth of cloud computing, JavaScript powered web apps are becoming more common. Even Microsoft are introducing JavaScript+HTML5 apps in Windows 8. With transcompilers, developers can create JavaScript code using a different language, and with Node.Js, JavaScript is being used outside of its traditional web browser home.

JavaScript, it seems, is here to stay. Below are a few interesting JavaScript related links for further investigaton:

• JQuery – Needs no introduction. Essential for web development
• KnockoutJS – Dynamic JavaScript UIs using the MVVM (Model-View-View-Model) pattern
• Node.js – Event driven IO server-side JavaScript environment
• CoffeeScript – a little language that transcompiles into JavaScript
• ClojureScript – Clojure to JavaScript transcompiler
• Titanium Mobile – Create native IOS/Android apps in JavaScript