Brand New To Java, what is the difference between JavaScript and Java?

I hear these two things used interchangeably a lot and am wondering what the innate differences are and if someone can explain. Thanks!

That's like asking "What's the difference between French and Spanish". It's true that people use them interchangeably, but that's because those people are ignorant. They are different languages with similar names.

Java is to javascript as ham is to hamster.

The first few letters of the latter contain the former, but that's about it.

And welcome to the Ranch

Both are totally different languages used to serve different purposes.

Java: It is an object oriented programming language with some of the features same as C++, it is a very powerful language which can be used to develop any kind of application (standalone, mobile, web application etc). Java applications runs on a special software known as JVM (Java virtual machine).

Java Script: It is a scripting language which is mainly used for client side validations, and runs on the browser, and it is always embedded under HTML.

AbdulRab Khan wrote:Java Script: It is a scripting language which is mainly used for client side validations, and runs on the browser, and it is always embedded under HTML.

JavaScript is used for much much more than just validations in the browsers. And it is not "always embedded under HTML". Server-side JavaScript is also taking hold.

To illustrate fred's point:

Thanks Bear Bibeault for providing some more information related to javascript

As people have already said above, they are two completely different languages, used for different purposes.

Some history: JavaScript was invented by Netscape around 1995. It was first called LiveScript. Java was the new, hip thing around that time, that would revolutionize the Web because you could program applets in Java. Netscape renamed LiveScript to JavaScript to take advantage of the coolness factor of the name Java (they did this with permission from Sun) - even though the two languages had almost nothing to do with each other. Java applets never became a big hit.

Jesper de Jong wrote:As people have already said above, they are two completely different languages, used for different purposes.

Some history: JavaScript was invented by Netscape around 1995. It was first called LiveScript. Java was the new, hip thing around that time, that would revolutionize the Web because you could program applets in Java. Netscape renamed LiveScript to JavaScript to take advantage of the coolness factor of the name Java (they did this with permission from Sun) - even though the two languages had almost nothing to do with each other. Java applets never became a big hit.

I believe Sun gave more than just permission to Netscape. Many of the engineers, including Bill Joy himself, helped with the Javascript specification -- to enhance the design of LiveScript to be more Java-like.

Henry

Welcome to Ranch, the basic difference between javascript and java is one is scripting language and another is programming language. and with the help of above posts, the history is in front of you

"Java is to Javascript as ham is to hamster"

As in one is tasty and filling and the other is cute and useless? :p

If you think that JavaScript is cute and useless, you need to get out more.

may be you are talking about hamster, rather than javascript, when you say cute and useless you should get out more!!

I'm just glad no one thought I was referring to the hamster as "tasty and filling"

Jayesh A Lalwani wrote:I'm just glad no one thought I was referring to the hamster as "tasty and filling"

I did

I on the other hand think ham is cute but useless.