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I believe JavaScript's was running in the web where Java could not (iPhones) or was considered too heavyweight (no startup). Then it became the true extremely

I believe JavaScript's was running in the web where Java could not (iPhones) or was considered too heavyweight (no startup). Then it became the true extremely portable language, because developers wanted a single language to write webapps in, and it was easier to get JavaScript running on their server than a new language running on every browser.

Jtsummers 2mo ago
Javascript didn't need a plugin, unlike Java, and could directly alter the page contents. One of the first heavy uses was Google Maps, interactive JS-based applications took off at that point. Then with an army of web developers (meaning in browser), Node took off when it handed them a way to work on the backend in the same language. The iPhone came out after JS heavy pages came into existence, and might have accelerated the end of Flash and Java applets but the trend was already there.
- oblio 2mo ago
  Gmail was the original AJAX woah! JavaScript application.
  - WalterSlovotsky 2mo ago
    Somewhat ironic, since AJAX was originally created by Microsoft to implement the Outlook web client.
    - oblio 2mo ago
      Microsoft was early and late to lots of things. They dominated early smartphones, too.