JavaScript Software Development: The Most Popular Programming Language For Software Development
Decoding The JavaScript Supremacy
In the rapidly evolving world of software development, one programming language has risen to the position of dominance. That development language is JavaScript. The reasons driving this level of popularity are numerous, and by understanding these factors one can easily see why JavaScript Software Development reigns supreme.
Our discussion today focuses on the following points of interest:
What Is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a high level programming language that is used nearly everywhere in website development. Having several similarities to another programming language, Java, the two nonetheless are completely distinct from one another and should not be considered related.
Prior to the availability of JavaScript, web pages were only viewable in a static format. This meant that user interaction with a web page was practically impossible. Only the invention of a scripting type language would remove that limitation. The necessity to create dynamic, interactive web pages was the entire reason that JavaScript was developed in the beginning.
JavaScript, through its tremendous growth in popularity, has been a singular driving force behind some rather major trends in web technology. Immediately recognizable among these trends is the extinction of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. While IE was once a powerful standard and held the dominant position for web browsing, JavaScript’s rapid rise on the web scene eventually toppled Microsoft’s lengthy reign of browser superiority.
History Of JavaScript
JavaScript software development’s origins date back to 1995. Through the collaborative efforts of Netscape and Sun Microsystems, the first beta version of JavaScript, then called LiveScript, was released. By the time of the official release, in December that same year, the name had been refined as JavaScript.
Due to a combination of circumstances, JavaScript has since become the world’s foremost programming language used in web development. Current statistics indicate that 98% of all sites on the World Wide Web employ JavaScript to control the behavior of web pages.
JavaScript For Software Development
Aside from business related factors which practically guaranteed the rise of JavaScript software Development, there is another good reason JS is considered the best. It has a lot of horsepower under the hood, so to speak. Not only is it a powerful language on its own merit, but it can also make use of many subsets of specialized instructions, much like expansion packs.
Why It’s Popular
Sure, we can and will talk more on the virtues of JavaScript software development. But you might be asking yourself a question by this point: What made JavaScript the royal language of programming? Surely there must be competing languages, so how did JS end up becoming overwhelmingly dominant?
The answer is that the software giant Microsoft once had its own competing version of a similar language. Allow us to expand further for just a moment in order to clarify what happened.
Microsoft Internet Explorer made its debut in 1995, which sparked a browser war between IE and Netscape for the world’s dominant web browser. Meanwhile, the idea of standardizing certain aspects within programming languages was also taking shape, on an industry-wide scope.
Microsoft was originally on board with submitting its own version of JavaScript, JScript, to the standardization process. However, they soon lost interest in cooperating and eventually dropped out of supporting the standardization of JScript altogether.
In a very real sense, the demand for software standardization within the software industry was the catalyst which brought down Internet Explorer’s JScript, conceding to JavaScript in its place. This demand for standardization, contrasted against Microsoft’s disregard for standardizing, caused a gradual but overwhelming loss of the ability to view most web pages using Internet Explorer.
With its main competing language – JScript – now defunct, JavaScript became the only realistic choice to carry forward with in web development. As a result, nearly 100% of all websites now depend heavily on JavaScript to ensure their continued functionality.
Benefits Of JavaScript Software Development
Allows for dynamic and interactive web design, resulting in a much more personalized user experience.
Allows standard usage of powerful instruction sets, many of which bear similarities to the venerable ‘C’ programming language.
Highly adaptable and versatile
Scalability means sustainability – JavaScript software development remains one of the most easily scaled platforms, so growth is easily accommodated.
Instantly expandable through the use of libraries and frameworks, which are available in abundance.
In addition to these main benefits, JavaScript software development is also the programmer’s choice for a go-to coding option. It’s fast to learn, and relatively easy to read through because it uses a good deal of plain, recognizable language and wording in the instructions.But the driving force that properly set JavaScript as a premier language was the flexibility it offers to developers. When used by expert programmers, there are truly few software development challenges that JavaScript would not be suited to solve.
JavaScript Frameworks vs Libraries
Recall us mentioning these earlier? They may be the most fascinating and empowering features associated with JavaScript. With frameworks and libraries you have access to any number of specialized design and development options.
JavaScript frameworks and libraries are very often spoken of as though the terms were nearly interchangeable. Libraries are often referred to as frameworks and vice versa. Although it’s tricky to separate them in terms, a few simple rules should help in understanding the premise of their base functionality.
What Are JavaScript Frameworks?
Like the name implies, JavaScript frameworks create an instant template or framework of predefined code which can be applied to a given program’s structure. A main advantage of frameworks is that they eliminate the need for repetitive, so-called ‘boilerplate’ code. This can save a significant amount of development time, particularly when working with larger projects.
JavaScript frameworks are comparable to a template style form where one only needs to fill in the blanks to create an official, completed document.
The Most Popular JavaScript Frameworks
Vue.js – An open source framework for the creation of user interfaces.
Angular – An open source web app framework from Google.
Express.js – An open source framework for building web apps and APIs.
Next.js – An open source web development framework.
MeteorJS – A mostly free framework which produces cross-platform code.
What Are JavaScript Libraries?
Understanding JavaScript libraries needs only slightly more explanation than did frameworks. Libraries are generally aimed at expanding the functionality of JavaScript. They are powerful sets of predefined instructions that unlock abilities not easily accessed through plain vanilla JavaScript.
A great example of this is in the case of displaying animated 3D computer graphics in web browsers. Standard JavaScript instructions on their own would be very cumbersome to use for this purpose. By using an appropriate library, the amount of code needed is hugely condensed. Three.js and Babylon.js are both examples of powerful JavaScript libraries offering this development option.
Like frameworks, JavaScript libraries are there to reduce the programming keystrokes, or code, involved in creating a given web experience. Less code? Now that sounds great!
The Most Popular JavaScript Libraries
Continuous Growth of Frameworks and Libraries
The support community behind the creation of new JavaScript frameworks and libraries is already grand, and is still growing steadily. GitHub, which is owned by Microsoft, is the premier repository of such development tools.
While most frameworks and libraries are free and open source, there are a few exceptions that require payment to use.
It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. This notion can undoubtedly be applied to the continued growth of JavaScript frameworks and libraries. Those now in use were developed because of a demand for their existence. So too will future frameworks and libraries follow the same course, springing to the forefront in answer to future demands in JavaScript development technologies.
As new frameworks and libraries are developed, it improves the usability of JavaScript in a general sense. New frameworks and libraries will mean greater functionality of the language.
JavaScript’s Popularity Is Still Rising
Yes, it’s true. JavaScript software development is still gaining momentum in the world today. As we stated a moment ago, new frameworks and libraries will continue being produced, leading to improved functionality.Greater functionality means that JavaScript, as an overall programming language, will be that much more capable of addressing future development concerns. For that and other reasons, software developers all over the world continue to put their confidence in JavaScript.
Long Term Future of JavaScript Based Software
Given the facts regarding JavaScript’s current status and popularity, it’s predictable that this programming language will remain dominant, perhaps indefinitely.
JavaScript is a quintessential example of a cutting edge technology in that it is capable of continuous improvement through the invention of new frameworks and libraries.
In our opinion, JavaScript will remain the dominant force in programming technology long into the future. With so many factors contributing to the constant growth of this language, it is indeed difficult to imagine another technology taking JavaScript’s place any time soon.
Conclusion
New programming languages arrive on the scene these days with greater and greater frequency. To an untrained observer, the picture might seem chaotic, to say the least. However, with these facts presented, hopefully we’ve made decoding the JavaScript supremacy a relatively easy task.In this article we’ve discussed what JavaScript is and highlighted its main functionality. Also, we’ve shown the reasons for it’s global popularity and explained its programming power:
It is a highly capable programming language, the most popular language of its type in the world.
JavaScript, while powerful on its own, can be made even more so through the use of frameworks and libraries.
JavaScript frameworks and libraries are available in great abundance and usually for free through the GitHub repository.
Finally, to reiterate an earlier notion, we feel that JavaScript software development is in its prime, and that it will remain so for an indefinite time to come.
If you’d like to know more about how JavaScript software can help in your next project, drop by Endertech or give us a call anytime, and we’ll be happy to assist you!