Java Isn't a Cup o' Joe????

Its amazing how many people don't know the difference between the two...even seasoned designers may "know" but just don't know that JavaScript and Java are completely different languages. Even in most conversations, JavaScript is referred to as Java...but when defining a web page, there needs to be a clear distinction. So we wanted to make that distinction simple:

Java is a programming language designed to allow programmers to create applications that can be downloaded from a network and run safely on almost any computing platform. It runs on almost all types of computers, supplies software components as needed, and contains built-in security features.

Java Script is a much simpler language and resides inside HTML documents; Java Script can provide levels of interactivity far beyond typically flat HTML pages and thus, Java Script is much easier to learn, but it must always be imbedded in another text, usually HTML.

The main difference is that Java can stand on its own while JavaScript must be placed inside an HTML document to function. If you are designing a web site, chances are you will not ever need to use Java...but knowing the difference and the simple fact that they are not interchangeable can make your job a whole lot easier!!!