Kevin, what’s the benefit of learning JavaScript to accent my web pages if I already know Java and can create applets and I can use CSS to design the aesthetics of a site? Maybe what I’m asking is what purpose does JavaScript serve in comparison with the others and I want to know if it’s a waste of my time to spend time learning the language?

I might be able to offer an answer there, Martin.

They are quite different vehicles. Applets are self contained and fundamentally separated from the page and HTML. JavaScript is most often used as an extension or enabler of the HTML and CSS.

Perhaps if you wanted to build something like an online game or a weather widget you might choose between JavaScript and a Java Applet to accomplish it.

But for the majority of tasks that JavaScript is used for — stuff like form validation, menus and Ajax — you would almost never choose an applet to perform those task in preference to a JavaScript. There are simply no real upsides, and plenty of downsides.

Thanks and Happy New Year.