How to Enable JavaScript in Your Browser

1. Launch your Mozilla Firefox browser and open a window.
2. Type “about:config” into the address bar and press Enter.
3. Click “Accept the Risk and Continue” button below the warning message to proceed to the preferences search box page.
4. Now enter “javascript.enabled” in the preferences search box.
5. Locate the option labeled “javascript.enabled” on the search result and toggle on JavaScript.
6. Refresh your browser.

Click HERE to learn more about JavaScript on Firefox!

1. Open up Google Chrome browser on your device
2. Click on the Menu icon (three dots) at the top-right corner of your screen.
3. Select “Settings” on the drop-down menu – the third option from the bottom
4. Now click “Privacy and security” on the left sidebar menu.
5. Under “Privacy and security,” select “Site settings.”
6. Under “Site Settings,” scroll until you find “JavaScript” and click it.
7. Click the button that says “Sites can use Javascript (Recommended)” – it will turn blue when enabled.

Congratulations, you’ve just enabled JavaScript on your Google Chrome browser.

Click HERE to learn more JavaScript on Google Chrome!

1. Launch your Internet Explorer browser and open a window.
2. Click on “Tools” – usually located at the topmost part of the menu bar. Afterward, choose “Internet Options” from the list of options displayed. You can also press the “Alt Key” to locate it quickly.
3. Click on the “Security Tab”.
4. Tap on the “Custom Level” button.
5. Continue scrolling down towards the bottom of the page till you find the “Scripting” heading.
6. Select “Active Scripting” to turn on JavaScript.
7. Click on “Ok.”
8. Refresh your browser.

Click HERE to learn more about JavaScript on Internet Explorer!

1. Open your Microsoft Edge browser.
2. Click on the three-dot icon in the top right corner to open the Menu tab.
3. Choose the “Settings” item on the Menu tab.
4. Now click on “Cookies and site permissions” in the left-hand Settings pane.
5. Select “JavaScript”.
6. Turn on “Allowed (recommended)”.

Click HERE to learn more about JavaScript on Microsoft Edge!

1. Launch your Opera browser.
2. Open the “Easy Setup” Menu.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the Easy Setup Menu and select “Go to browser settings”.
4. Next, scroll down to find the “Site Settings” options and then click it.
5. Under “Site Settings”, locate the option that shows JavaScript and select it.
6. Toggle on the “Allowed (recommended)” switch to activate JavaScript. It’ll turn blue when enabled.
7. Congratulations, you just activated JavaScript.

Click HERE to learn more about JavaScript on Opera!

1. Navigate to the “Safari” section of your device.
2. Select “Preferences”.
3. Tap on the security icon.
4. Check the checkbox to “Enable JavaScript”.
5. Restart your browser.

Click HERE to learn more about JavaScript on Safari!

JavaScript is a “client-side” scripting language that is primarily used to create and add all kinds of dynamic interactions to web pages. With its rapid evolution in the tech world, JavaScript has become the cornerstone of modern web development.

It works nicely with traditional software design languages and includes unique features that make it distinct from them. Where CSS and HTML are languages that add style and structure to web pages, JavaScript provides web pages with interactive elements that enhance user experiences.

So, anything that changes, or pops up on your device without web page reloads during a browsing session? Yep, that’s JavaScript.

Today, JavaScript is so impressive that it is used by modern web browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge etc. Popular mobile devices such as Android and iPhone are also able to run JavaScript-based browsers and applications natively.

Understanding the way JavaScript works is a little easier when you know its prominence, so let’s learn more.

It’s been 25 years since, arguably, one of the most frequently used codes for web development was created. The emergence of the Internet has taken JavaScript places it was never predicted to be. Since its release, JavaScript has not only strengthened its spot as a powerful programming language but has also acquired new usage areas in modern web development.

Inspired by Scheme, Java and Self, JavaScript was developed in 1995 by Brendan Eich when he worked at Netscape Communications. In the 1990s, Netscape Communications enjoyed a substantial presence on the Internet through its browser – the Netscape Navigator – which was widely preferred to Mosaic browser, the first mainstream web browser.

Netscape Communications was co-founded by Marc Andreessen, who was part of a team of developers at the University of Illinois that worked on the Mosaic browser project in 1993. As the web gained popularity, tech companies vied to develop the most efficient browser on the Internet.

Microsoft caught wind of this and initiated the Internet Explorer project in a bid to wrestle control of the Internet from Netscape. This sparked a fierce browser war between Microsoft and Netscape to achieve supremacy in the browser share market.

At the time, web developers longed for a scripting language to create or add dynamic features on web pages. Initially, they set their sights on Java but eventually realized that something more flexible was required to enhance user experiences.

Netscape realized this and envisioned a lightweight scripting language that could allow web developers to add interactive features on web pages. Time was of the essence, and this was when the father of JavaScript came into the picture.

In 1995, Brendan Eich was contracted by Netscape to create and implement a dynamic language for the release of their Netscape Navigator 2.0 browser. This project came as a rushed assignment to Eich. However, he saw this as an opportunity to work on something he was passionate about and teamed up with Netscape. And so the idea of a lightweight scripting language was born. It was named Mocha by Eich but was later renamed Live Script. In as little as ten days, a functional prototype was developed by Eich and was ready to be implemented in the Netscape Navigator 2.0 Beta browser.

In a bid to maintain its supremacy in the browser share market, Netscape agreed to partner with Sun Microsystems – developers of the programming language named Java. This alliance meant that Sun Microsystems secured the use of Netscape Navigator as a web delivery platform to make Java available to the Java Community.

In 1996, almost a year later, Live Script was ultimately renamed JavaScript as a marketing strategy to gain acceptance in the Java community. JavaScript was presented as a scripting language for minor client-side projects in the Netscape Navigator 2.0 browser, while Java was endorsed as a specialized tool to develop impressive web solutions.

Following this, Microsoft reverse-engineered JavaScript to develop a custom version for their Internet Explorer 3. It was named JScript to avoid legal issues with Sun Microsystems, who owned the Java brand and had licensed it to Netscape.

Clean, flexible and accessible to non-developers, JavaScript (and JScript) were insanely popular, making web pages more interactive as well as dynamic.

Unfortunately, they both started to earn a negative reputation due to a low barrier entry, which meant that people could write code snippets with little or no knowledge of what they were doing. Additionally, JavaScript was often used to upset people (pop-up ads, browser sniffing, etc.) rather than to enhance their experience.

A significant response to address this issue came in the form of ECMA standardization. Netscape and Sun Microsystems submitted documentation to standardize JavaScript with ECMA International, who would host the standard. Standardization was a significant step and a great call for such a new language.

This opened JavaScript up to a broader audience and allowed developers to have a say in the evolution of the scripting language. Standardization also served the purpose of keeping people who used the code for negative reasons in check. To avoid infringing on Sun’s Java trademark, the ECMA committee decided to name the standardized language ECMAScript.

This caused even more misunderstanding, but ultimately ECMAScript was used to refer to the specification, and JavaScript was (and still is) used to refer to the scripting language today.

JavaScript is used to add dynamic interactions such as transition elements and functions to web pages. It also allows users to load new images and objects without the need to refresh the web page over time.

One of the most powerful things about JavaScript is that it includes an extensive range of libraries and frameworks that can be used to build cross-platform web and mobile applications.

JavaScript is also capable of building web-based games. It includes a host of libraries and frameworks that people can employ to make 2D or 3D games.

Beyond websites and app development, developers can make use of JavaScript to build robust web servers and back-end development using Node.js.

Access to more interactive websites and interfaces such as animations, videos, ad banners and other staples of the contemporary web experience.

JavaScript is a client-side script, accelerating user-interactivity on the web page as it reduces server requests.

As JavaScript operates on the client-side, it minimizes the time required to connect to the server, which in turn conserves both bandwidth and load.