I think it being first to market in a browser was probably the most important aspect of it being so successful. Microsoft tried VBScript and it got some take-up

I think it being first to market in a browser was probably the most important aspect of it being so successful. Microsoft tried VBScript and it got some take-up , but it was ultimately too late. It was also free. At the time, IDE's and compilers were pretty expensive in the Windows world.