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Can someone explain to me what javascript is used for? Is it and Java similar in any way? I see this more and more on application recommendations and was wondering about it.

Thanks,
breezy.

They're not even related. Java was developed by Sun Micro Systems back in the mid-to-late nineties. Javascript was developed by Netscape. The two share a name but they're nowhere near related to each other.

Java is a fully object-oriented, statically typed, 3G (3rd generation) language. It is heavily influenced by K&R's C language. It runs on any machine through the JVM (Java Virtual Machine). Java is a true Enterprise language in that it contains libraries for enterprise development.

Javascript is actually misleading. It's not Java, it is a script. Javascript was developed by Netscape to provide interactivity within a web site. Javascript's initial environment was the browser. It only ran on the browser. Some say it's object-oriented, but it's really not. Javascript is interpreted, does not use a VM, and is dynamically typed. It's also based on a prototypical language like Io. Lately, however, Javascript is being used for things like web servers. Node.js is a fine example of that.

They also have two completely different uses. You can build an entire application using Java. It has its own UI library, a database library (for connecting to databases) and libraries that speed up enterprise grade applications. Javascript is a tool used to manipulate HTML objects in a browser. Its scope is limited to DOM manipulation and AJAX.

Hopefully this answers your question.

Thanks, helped a ton! I guess I'll try not to learn it... (It's) not so much up my alley.

Which one?

Don't be intimidated by both. Gadget is our resident Java expert. I'm decent at Javascript. Myself and CrashTech are the resident C# guys. If you're interested in learning, we can direct you to resources and answer questions for you, provided you've exhausted your options.

javascript.
I know Java already. But I don't think Javascript is exaclty what I thought it would be. I want to get into the mobile software career field.

I'm going to assume that you either have a CS background or you're planning on becoming a CS student. Since you already know Java, the obvious place for you to start mobile software development would be the Android platform (developer.android.com). If you have more specific questions, feel free to post them in the forum.