This is from an article I wrote for an e-zine a couple years ago: Java is a complete object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems. It can be used to create complete, complex, independent programs and applications. To use it on your computer, you may need a Java interpreter (which is available for free from Sun Microsystems). On the web, Java is used in the form of an actual program that is downloaded from the server and executed through the browser. Java "applets" do need a Java-capable browser to run, and if you turn off Java in your browser, you won't see or be affected by embedded Java applets in a website. Java is supposed to work across platforms, and in theory, it does (there can be problems with it in practice, but that's way beyond the scope of this little article). JavaScript's correct name is ECMAScript. It was originally developed by Netscape some years ago, when Netscape was still an independent company. JavaScript is not a programming languge, but rather is an extension of HTML, a "scripting language". JavaScript primarily responds to events (usually mouse actions, but other events can also trigger JavaScript actions and behaviors). JavaScript exists as text within the page (or in an external but linked page). It is not a program, and it always requires a browser or other HTML-capable device (such as some mail programs). You can turn off JavaScript in your browser, and you won't be affected by or see any JavaScript effects (such as pop-ups, certain kinds of forms, rollovers, and other special effects). JavaScript is also not universal, and may or may not work properly in your particular browser. The only thing that Java and JavaScript have in common is that the actual code looks similar on a superficial level, and their names are frustratingly, maddeningly similar. ----------------- :-) bonni

"When a man gives his opinion, he's a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she's a bitch." - Bette Davis