Java and JavaScript - technical definition

Though these terms sound alike, they have different meanings. When computer experts discuss the Java programming language, they often mention that browsers include a type of virtual mechanism (or “sandbox”) encapsulating the Java program and preventing it from gaining access to local machines. The theory behind Java has been that a Java “applet” is actually content-like graphics and not full-application software. But as of 2000, all major browsers have been found to have bugs in the Java virtual mechanisms, allowing hostile applets to break free of the “sandbox” and gain access to other system parts. Most security experts now browse with Java disabled on their computers, whereas other security experts encapsulate it with many more sandboxes. Java is used as a full-fledged programming language in which many of the server-side applications on the Internet are written.

JavaScript, on the other hand, was developed by Sun Microsystems and Netscape to be a user-friendly complement to the Java programming language that could be added to basic HTML pages to create considerably more interactive documents. It is little wonder, therefore, that JavaScript is often used to create interactive Web-based forms. Most modern-day browsers, including those from Microsoft and Netscape, have JavaScript support.

Although Java and JavaScript are different, to be able to take market advantage of the negative marketing hype around Java, Netscape renamed its JavaScript “LiveScript.”

See Also: Browser; Programming Languages C, C++, Perl, and Java.