Richard Strucke

JavaScript, Red Headed No More

There was a time on the web, in a not so distant past, when JavaScript was considered the voodoo scripting language of all that is sinister on the internet. A corrupt, and evil force, marked as the magic language of criminal hackers, scam artisits, even the doorway to viruses, worm attacks and pornographic popups — Oh My!

I still remember hearing, “Whatever you do — DARE NOT TURN ON JAVASCIPT!”, one professor exclaimed to our class prior to venturing into the world wild web.

Since then, I think we’ve all grown up a bit. My professor, our browsers, and possibly more than anything — our JavaScript libraries. A recent post over at MeyerWeb points to the fact that Javascript has not only matured, but is pushing the future of browsing. Eric highlights the fact that libraries such as jQuery are making strides in not only optimizing the way we write JS and navigate the DOM, but how projects such as John Resig’s emergent Sizzle project can push the web we live in to be viewed through clearer eye’s (CSS3).

I, for one, can attest to the fact that libraries such as jQuery, MooTools, and Prototype are making it easier to apply unobtrusive, cross browser, and user beneficial behaviors to websites. Recently I had the pleasure of working on the St Helena Olive Oil Co. which uses a sprinkling of jQuery to view and expand product windows, lightbox enlarged images, and most importantly expedite the checkout process via Ajax.

Mr Meyer goes on to expand upon theory of where else JS can take us. Like, hurrying our current browsers to utilize CSS3 standards or extending markup to “convert the HTML5 element into HTML4 elements” rather than waiting for the big browsers to long and laborious standards adoption update cycles.

JavaScript, once considered the Red Headed Step Child who should be left locked in the closet, now sought as the divine inspiration for what might be possible within the World Wide Web. A language for innovation, rather than desecration. Who would have thunk it.