JavaScript comes to the rescue (1995)

JavaScript comes to the rescue (1995)

JavaScript was the answer to the limitations of HTML. For instance, need a popup window, want to dynamically modify the order of something? The answer was JavaScript. However, the main problem here is that JavaScript is layered on top of the fabric that makes the web work and has to be loaded separately. Very often it is used as an easy patch for a lazy developer, yet it is very powerful if used wisely. Nowadays we prefer to avoid JavaScript if the same feature can be delivered using CSS. Yet JavaScript itself stays strong as in front-end (j Query) as on the back-end (Node.js).

The golden era of freedom – Flash (1996)

To break the limitations of existing web design, a technology was born that promised a freedom never seen before. The designer could design any shapes, layouts, animations, interactions, use any font and all this in one tool – Flash. The end-result is packed as one file and then sent to the browser to be displayed. That is, as long as a user had the latest flash plugin and some free time to wait until it loads, it worked like magic. This was the golden era for splash pages, intro animations, all kinds of interactive effects. Unfortunately, it wasn’t too open or search-friendly and certainly consumed a lot of processing power. When Apple decided to abandon it on their first iPhone (2007), Flash started to decay. At least for web design.