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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 82.231.70.117 (talk) at 11:42, 12 August 2007 (→external link). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Merge with Client-side Javascript

This article is mostly about Client-side JavaScript. I have proposed a merge with Client-side JavaScript. JavaScript is more abundant on the client-side so maybe Server-side JavaScript should have its own article but these should be merged or JavaScript should summarise both. What are your thought? Bamkin 19:05, 22 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This is tricky. I think JavaScript should include the content from Client-side JavaScript. For a strong majority of JavaScript programmers, JS is a language for scripts in Web pages; that's also its origin. The article should still note as it does now that JavaScript has been picked up in other environments, but it should have the content that readers were (probably) looking for. (Perhaps "Uses outside Web pages" could be a shorter section with a link to an external article.)
Separately, I hadn't looked at Client-side JavaScript until now, and I'm a little wary about how much of it is sample code and detailed mechanics---it reads a little like a textbook, which Wikipedia is not. (See also this style guide entry on code samples.) In other words, we may want to cut out some those code samples before, during, or after any merge, and link to a tutorial or LiteratePrograms instead. On the other hand, all of the links in Client-side JavaScript and many of the additional facts (e.g., about why browser detection is pervasive but bad) are just divine.
Finally, most of the content from both articles about compatibility may belong in Web Interoperability, but that's another matter entirely.
Most of what I just said was offtopic. The point is: I favor merging Client-side JavaScript into JavaScript because it will more quickly get readers to the information they want. Conflict of interest notice: I just edited JavaScript heavily, especially the "Security" and "Compatibility considerations" sections, and obviously I have a little bias in favor of my prose. 75.24.110.218 00:30, 23 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]
(This is the same person as 75.24.110.218, at a different IP.) I'm willing to start merging Client-side JavaScript into JavaScript. I won't touch Server-side JavaScript and will put code samples somewhere outside JavaScript (not sure where yet).75.23.153.79 19:49, 25 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

JavaScript 2?

How about something about version 2? Either in it's own section or under Language?

Didn't Netscape submit JavaScript to the ECMA ?

The sentence "Microsoft submitted JScript to ECMA for standardization resulting in the standardized version named ECMAScript." makes me believe that Microsoft induced the development of the ECMAScript standard. In a book about JavaScript and at http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/A_re-introduction_to_JavaScript Netscape claims to have submitted JavaScript to be standardized by the ECMA. Lukenet 07:51, 7 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Javascript a JVM language?

Javascript is categorized as a JVM programming language, but i don't see any reference to it. Either this is a mistake and should be corrected or a reference should be made somewhere. Who can help? Bouke 15:37, 14 March 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Security risks

The following attack does not use any error, exploit or backdoor. Should wikipedia include this kind of information? What about this specific case where it is not a flaw but something inherent to the way javascript works?

From: http://www.spidynamics.com/spilabs/education/articles/JS-portscan.html

Imagine visiting a blog on a social site or checking your email on a portal like Yahoo’s Webmail. While you are reading the Web page JavaScript code is downloaded and executed by your Web browser. It scans your entire home network, detects and determines your Linksys router model number, and then sends commands to the router to turn on wireless networking and turn off all encryption. Now imagine that this happens to 1 million people across the United States in less than 24 hours. This scenario is no longer one of fiction.

The fact that JavaScript is involved in much security-related discussion seems worth mentioning in wikipedia. The particular example is only one of many. Wikipedia, and this article, do not seem to me the right place to hold a detailed discussion of such risks, and I'm not sure it can be properly understood without that. Likewise, public discussion of vulnerabilities is most clearly appropriate when it's done in a way that encourages and facilitates their repair; in this case, given the unreasonability of expecting general users to follow the discussion, a browser-vendor security forum seems more appropriate. Jackrepenning 23:01, 20 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I've already mentioned the possibility of JavaScript trojans, which simply rely on the by-design behavior of Windows Script Host and are very rare "in the wild." If we split off a "JavaScript security" article, we could mention port-scanning there without it feeling excessive or out of place. My gut feeling aside, I haven't dug deeply into the Wikipedia criteria for what's worthy of mention in an article. 75.24.110.218 04:15, 23 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I agree that the URL from spidynamics.com may not belong in this article. That's because we don't have a third-party assessment of how important that vulnerability is. The amount of security coverage in the present article seems about right to me, though it could be written in a more unified manner. It talks about modes of attack rather than how to defend yourself which is more significant to average users. There's no reason why we couldn't have a separate article called Javascript security if were neutral, well-referenced and balanced. It could be somewhat more technical than this one. However, someone would have to sit down and write it. EdJohnston 05:26, 23 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

JScript in WSH

I think some mention of the use of JScript in Windows Scripting Host should be made. One can effectively write full-blown application using JScript. -SharkD 13:49, 24 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actionscript

Along with some copy editing, I changed the reference to ActionScript. It obviously does conform to the ECMAscript standard, otherwise Mozilla wouldn't have adopted the ActionScript VM code the other day. Chris Cunningham 01:12, 11 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Refs section

This seems indiscriminate. These should be moved into ref tags if directly relevant to the article. Chris Cunningham 14:58, 24 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

History and overly fast archiving

Looking back at the history section of the Archive1 one sees that the issues brought up there are still not taken care of.

To expand on this, the sentence As of 2006, the latest version of the language is JavaScript 1.7 makes for even more confusion whre there is a web page dedicated to Javascript 2.0. Something to clarify versions, relations to Ecmascript versions and dates would be helpful. I have looked but am sufficiently confused by what is claimed that I am not in a position to contrubute.

Just please don't archive this before it is solved. --17:37, 30 December 2006 (UTC)

That link is an old Netscape proposal that hasn't been updated in years. The latest available version of JS is 1.7. The correspondence between JS and ECMAScript versions is described at the ECMAScript page. --asqueella 16:25, 2 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Unclear sentence about "PnP JavaScript design pattern"

I removed the following sentence from the article because it seemed to lack sufficient context to make clear what was meant.

PnP JavaScript design pattern was adopted gradually after commonly use of Ajax to reduce JavaScript maintenance cost.

What is a "PnP JavaScript design pattern"? And, if we are going to say it was adopted, we need a source. 75.214.198.187 (really User:JesseW/not logged in) 04:34, 10 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Run-on sentence

The sentence:

Since JavaScript is interpreted, loosely-typed, and, when run at the client-side, may be hosted in varying environments, applications, implementations and versions, the programmer has to take extra care to make sure the code executes as expected in as wide a range of circumstances as possible, and that functionality degrades nicely when it does not.

Is way too long and unclear. It needs to be broken up into pieces, and simplified. I attempted to do so, but couldn't get it to work. I came up with: "JavaScript has a number of features that make it Because the same JavaScript code may be run in a large variety of circumstances, extra care must be taken in testing it.", but that leaves out too much of what's in the original. Suggestions are greatly appreciated. 75.214.198.187 (really User:JesseW/not logged in) 04:53, 10 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

How about:
JavaScript is an interpreted and loosely-typed programming language. JavaScript code is also often passed to web browsers and other web 'user agents' to be run at the client-side, and so will be interpreted in varying environments, applications, implementations and versions on various end users' machines. This means that the programmer has to take extra care to ensure that the code executes as expected in as wide a range of circumstances as possible. There will always be the possibility of total failure in the final execution environment, so it falls to the software designer to ensure that the end user's perceived functionality degrades nicely in those cases too.
I'm afraid the reason it wasn't clear was because it was rather terse, probably to try to make it all work as one massive sentence. When clarified, it gets longer, not shorter: but if that makes it more helpful to the reader, then it is not a problem. What do people think? --Nigelj 23:58, 10 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]
That's certainly an improvement, and I suggest you replace the existing sentence with that. Nevertheless, it's not optimal... It'd be better if there was a clear topic sentence; maybe "The same JavaScript code is often run in a wide range of circumstances, due to the language's dynamic features and it's typical client-side execution." followed by what you wrote. Thanks for your suggestion! 75.214.202.6 (really User:JesseW/not logged in) 06:51, 11 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Javascript

I am new to the internet and have a property advertised on a website. Recently when trying to access the website I saw the message Javascript required ti access this website. I think something has gone wrong with my system Could anyone give me a clue Thanks —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.145.240.4 (talk) 15:42, 24 April 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Programming

Why isn't this javascript entry marked as a programming language?

The external link added earlier today seems to be commercial and non-notable; also, its grammatic errors resemble the grammar used on the linked website, suggesting the possibility that the link was added by someone from that site, promoting it. Its non-notability seemed reason enough to remove it, which I've done. Another link that seems a candidate for removal is the one listed as "Installing & Configuring JSDoc On Windows...." I'd appreciate someone else's opinion of that one. Thanks, --rich<Rich Janis 08:42, 2 July 2007 (UTC)>[reply]

Mobile

So how is JavaScript implemented on the popular Microbrowsers? Openwave, Opera Mini or the Nokia or Motorola browsers? Mathiastck 12:16, 19 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

It could be interesting to add this external link to show how advanced is the JavaScript language. Unfortunately it is so usual to see only examples related to browers DOM.

I don't see why this link is justified under WP:EL. The text of WP:NOT asserts that Wikipedia is not a directory or a how-to manual. It is not our job to provide a directory of useful links. Especially something like JavaScript is very easy to document with a Google search. Nothing in the present text of the article cites code.google.com or uses it as a reference. I will wait to see if anyone else chimes in here to support inclusion of your link, before removing it. EdJohnston 01:01, 11 August 2007 (UTC)[reply]
      • I am a wikipedia user and I am ALWAYS happy to have further information about a topic. EdJohnston, have you already tried to to search "javascript" with google ?... ( and BTW, code.google.com is a hosting site, like Sourceforge and many other ) WP:EL said: Such pages could contain further research that is accurate and on-topic; information that could not be added to the article for reasons such as copyright or amount of detail
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