JavaScript brings balance back to the force.
It's funny how you sometimes take something so simple for granted until you one day suddenly realise the answer has been staring you in the face all along.
JavaScript is that answer,it's now become this language widely used, mostly understood and pushed to the point where i doubt there is anything left undiscovered about it. It's now become the bridge between disparate technologies from most of the major software giants (Microsoft, Google, Adobe etc). It's being used in a number of creative ways and it doesn't appear to be stopping either.
You could use JavaScript to write a Windows Vista SideBar Gadget, Yahoo! Widget and whatever the next piece of technology of this kind can be inserted here.
You could use JavaScript to bridge the gap between Adobe AIR and Adobe Acrobat, to empower electronic forms to carryout out tasks dictated by Adobe AIR (via FLEX / AJAX).
You could use JavaScript to control and manipulate Microsoft Silverlight XAML, shape and bend it to suite your will, using it to hold the fort while we build and produce the application framework that's yet to come.
You could use JavaScript to write data to your hard-drive through the use of Google Gears.
You could use JavaScript to hijack other peoples HTML code and make it do some interesting things, much like how I don't have FTP access to this blogs code, but I can bring-in JavaScript to manipulate the DOM should I wish.
You could use JavaScript to fuse two competing technologies (Flash, Silverlight etc) together, and force them to bow to you, the developers will should you so desire.
There is much you can do with JavaScript that typically it was never imagined when it was first produced. It's quite a unique language to admire and utilize, as it's got one thing going for it that we all are somewhat envious about.
Everyone simply knows it. It's been around for far to long, hasn't had any changes really to it and combined with HTML + Browser Agents it can be quite a powerful ally to have.
I have new found respect for JavaScript the more I see it being used in variety of ways. It just keeps getting stronger and stronger, yet no actual changes are made to it?
JavaScript is what keeps the RIA dream alive today, so we can build better tomorrow!
Comments
Anonymous
August 31, 2007
If JavaScript is the answer, it must have been a stupid question. It's useful by virtue of the position it occupies, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a pig.Anonymous
September 01, 2007
Hey Kevin D, don't call javascript a pig. It's not javascript's fault that you can't see the beauty of dynamic languages and prototype-based inheritance.Anonymous
September 02, 2007
I have to echo Kevin's comments. While everything you said is true, and unfortunately it will not change in the near future, this is far from ideal. I think of Javascript as duct tape in that it binds things things together, but it is not made for that. And we use it because it works and really we have no choice :(.