JavaScript - Almost Great

JavaScript - Almost Great

A little JavaScript is a handy tool at times. You can create navigation boxes, rollover effects, and other nice tricks. However, as good as it is, there are things that have been making people pull their hair out. This often happens when a person wants to use JavaScript for something it isn't capable of doing, or isn't compatible with a certain browser.

The first thing to remember is that you simply do not want to use JavaScript to do anything more complicated than an image flip or some simple navigation. The reason: JavaScript cannot write to a file (well, other than a cookie- which is only useful for one person at a time). Without the ability to write to a file, you can't save information for use on other pages, or give access to this information to other people. This is something that is needed for counters, keeping statistics, guest books, message boards, and other such applications. If you need something like this, you should go with CGI if possible.

The other problem that arises is the fact that browsers just are not compatible. Many JavaScript tricks can be done in both browsers, or at least be specially coded to work with both. However, when you get into DHTML and style sheets, the inconsistencies become greater and more frustrating. Until both browsers support some sort of standard, it is probably best to stay away from trying to create cross-browser DHTML scripts for your own sanity. For instance, you can make your links change color with a mouseover in Internet Explorer 4+, but the command to do this isn't compatible with Netscape 4.x-- at least not yet. Of course if developers are lucky, there will be a cross-browser standard of some sort down the line. I'll certainly keep an eye on the upcoming Netscape 5 and see what happens.

To sum it up, keep JavaScript for fairly simple tasks. If you want something more complicated, CGI might work. You can also look into ASP or PHP (see conversation topic later in this issue). You can probably find something, and keep from going out of your mind from trying to code it with JavaScript.

By John Pollock