No, it's not Java. No, you don't have to be an experienced programmer to use it. No, it doesn't cost anything. And yes, it will help make your web pages smarter, hotter and more interactive.

If you've heard about JavaScript, then perhaps I've answered some of your more pressing questions. And even if you haven't heard of JavaScript, you’ve probably seen it in action without realizing it. JavaScript is appearing everywhere.

JavaScript’s life began as LiveScript, a scripting language developed by Netscape Communications Corp. for its Navigator web browser. In its present incarnation, JavaScript is an easy-to-learn, cross-platform, net-optimized scripting language for creating interactive, live content for web pages. Currently supported by Netscape Navigator after version 2.0 and Microsoft's Internet Explorer 3.0, JavaScript is an important new tool no developer can afford to ignore. By using it you can create simple interactive buttons like this:

or program complex, interactive communication between Java applets, Netscape plug-ins and user input, as well as countless other applications in-between.

Not Your Father’s Cup Of Joe
Despite the similarity in name, we're actually talking apples and oranges here. Java is an object-orientated programming language used to create web-based applets and stand-alone applications. JavaScript, on the other hand, is a scripting language designed to enhance HTML. Java is compiled into platform-independant "bytecode" that is interpreted by the Java Virtual Machine. JavaScript, like HTML, doesn't require compiling, it is interpreted line-by-line by the browser.

The following table is from Netscape's JavaScript documentation. It compares and contrasts JavaScript and Java.

There are both similarities and differences between the two, but JavaScript is best suited to assisting web designers in enhancing the basic functionality of HTML and without requiring advanced programming skills. Of course, in the hands of a skillful programmer JavaScript can perform some amazing feats.