About JavaScript - JavaScript is an object oriented programming language similar in syntax to C++ and Java. JavaScript code is placed in HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) web documents and the code is "understood" and interpreted by web browsers such as Netscape (beginning with version 2.0). Java is also an object oriented programming language that is "called" from HTML documents similar to getting an image file and when the "applet" loads this takes control and runs some program that eventually gives back control to the browser Netscape. The two languages are complementary and will be found together in the future, however, JavaScript can run even in Netscape 2.0 in Windows 3.1 while Java requires Windows 95/Unix and Netscape 3.0 in the 32-bit version.

Download Latest Netscape (version 3.0 or later)
Netscape version 2.0 has JavaScript built in but since this was the earliest version of the programming language there are several "bugs" which can crash Netscape! By Netscape version 3.0 most, if not all, of the bugs had been fixed. If you saw the "Alert Message" when opening this page, I recommend that you download Netscape version 3.0 or later to enjoy a more reliable Netscape. In fact, I had so many Netscape crashes with version 2.0 that I finally decided to severely limit the use of the JavaScript programs if the browser is Netscape 2.0. - John Byers, 1997.

Since the above was written, almost everyone now uses Windows 95/98 and minimum Netscape 3.0+ or Internet Explorer 4.0+. Actually, Netscape 3.0 is faster in many things than Netscape 4.05 (not the latest version) and also has some behavior that is different than 4.05. I have had to run all programs in both versions and get the bugs out (if possible) with each version, usually they behave the same way. Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) 3.0 is virtually useless in JavaScript and generally does not work and can even crash. I have disallowed the use of this browser in cases (most of them) where my code does not work (and it is standard code learned from books). Later versions of Microsoft IE (colleages at work) seem much better but still often do not work in minor ways. Sometime I'll get a later version of Microsoft IE that is not too advanced (like 4.0) and try to debug and let Microsoft users into my programs (if they behave properly).

I was mad that Microsoft IE (3.0? or 4.0?) asks you which hard drive you want to install the program files and then only puts about 175K files where you designate and the other 30 Megabytes in C:\Windows, while Netscape behaves properly and puts the files where you specify! I ran out of C: space and had to unload Microsoft IE (this was in 1998). I will try again when I get around to it. - John Byers, 1999.


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