tech

December 5, 2025

In 1995, a Netscape employee wrote a hack in 10 days that now runs the Internet

Thirty years later, JavaScript is the glue that holds the interactive web together, warts and all.

In 1995, a Netscape employee wrote a hack in 10 days that now runs the Internet

TL;DR

  • JavaScript was announced 30 years ago by Netscape Communications and Sun Microsystems.
  • It was developed in a 10-day sprint by Brendan Eich at Netscape in May 1995.
  • JavaScript now runs on approximately 98.9% of websites with client-side code and is used in various applications beyond browsers.
  • The language's name was a marketing decision to leverage Java's popularity, leading to confusion as the two languages are distinct.
  • JavaScript was standardized as ECMAScript in June 1997.
  • Key developments like AJAX and Node.js expanded its capabilities and popularity.
  • A movement is underway to free the JavaScript trademark from Oracle's ownership, arguing it has become generic.
  • Despite Java applets fading, JavaScript has become the main event in web development.

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