[WEB4LIB] RE: Opera loading a javascript menu

[Christopher LeBlanc]

Mark Pecaut wrote:
> 
> Java and JavaScript are two distinct languages.  Java is a
> compliled and interpreted, `write once, run anywhere' language
> developed by Sun Microsystems.  JavaScript is a scripting
> language developed by Netscape to provide annoying pop-up windows,
> browsers incompatiblities  and frequent browser crashes to
> web pages.  It is also used for a few other purposes.  They have
> nothing to do with each other.  You don't need the Java plugin for
> JavaScript in the browser.  Whoever named JavaScript was evil (it
> came after Java).

Actually, JavaScript was first known as LiveScript.  It was invented by
Netscape.  When Java took off, Netscape decided it would be great to
call this client-side scripting JavaScript, got the OK to do it, and now
we have confusion and hysteria.

The problem that Opera was having is that it is not assuming all SCRIPTS
are JavaScript (you can have TCL/TK, Visual Basic, blah-blah scripting
languages).  If it was not a JavaScript and something tried to run it as
JavaScript, you would get some nice application errors.  If it does not
specify what it is, Opera will not give it the benefit of the doubt.

The problem in this case is the people who wrote it.

Christopher LeBlanc
Lamar University Library
leblanc at library.lamar.edu