Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["Jeff Clayton" <jclayton AT tfn.net>]

Only a few of you know me, though I have done some serious JavaScript
(and around 20 other languages/psuedo-languages as a Software Engineer)
programming for my main contact here - so after reading this thread I am
dying to put in two cents worth.

It is precisely those cross-browser issues that have made it possible
for me to get work with several companies in that they tell me the
browsers that they need to be compatible with and that is what I do for
them. It is quite a game - but one that was created by Microsoft on
purpose (as I am sure all of you here know) since they kept making
commands that were incompatible with existing ones from competition
(Netscape of course being the operative competitor for most of these
issues).

One of the most important things about it is that many web-forms that
are to be filled out need some kind of validation - and having a massive
form post to a web server and wait for a user to repost information when
something is not completed properly, is a real hassle, more so when the
net is lagged up. JavaScript solves that specific issue very nicely, and
with a few caveats regarding script patterns that are cross platform,
does not have problems if done correctly. More importantly, much that
can be done with Flash and Java (some of the usual memory hogs of the
browser interface world) can be done in well formatted DHTML scripting.
It does take extra time in program preparation, but building code
libraries that are compatible with a few of the major browser types
allow a very speedy solution with no real download time with very
beautiful results.

Digression-- On the other note mentioned here - PASCAL - many of you may
not know one very important historical point that I found out in one of
my university computer science classes - as to what PASCAL was really
designed for. [To me this is humor because of the progressions of
languages and their uses over time.] It was specifically designed as a
teaching language, not to be what it became before C - a core language
for serious software programming, but a language solely designed to
teach people what a machine can do, and nothing more. Because of its
versatility it became quite prevalent in the world market. This history
I refer to is not speculation on my part but actually from references by
those responsible for its design. I just thought everyone here might
enjoy this little off-topic tidbit.

Jeff Clayton
SoftwareEngineer AT JeffClayton.com

-----Original Message-----
From: internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:internetworkers-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Jim
Allman
Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2004 10:45 PM
To: Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/
Subject: Re: [internetworkers] Javascript

On Apr 15, 2004, at 10:24 PM, Ilan Volow wrote:

> But I will post a link to something I had considered posting a few 
> threads earlier. Sums up my opinion on javascript nicely (with a few 
> old-timer sentiments thrown in for good measure)
>
> http://www.asktog.com/columns/028WebStealers.html

Replace Javascript with a procedural markup language? Ick ick ick.

Been there, done that, with XSLT. At first it seems like a great 
idea--but once the logic extends beyond the trivial, it really stinks. 
Hard to write, hard to read, hard to follow. Cramped, like his 
description of PASCAL.

Javascript (ECMAScript) is a wonderful, nimble core language--it's the 
clusterf%@k of different host environments (browser incompatibilities, 
in particular) that drive people crazy.

   =jimA=

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