The Stanford University Computer Science program is testing out Javascript development to replace some of their Java-based projects.

This transfer marks the first major change to their introductory CS curriculum since 2002.

Stanford University and Codecademy reported:

• This new JS course is being piloted as an optional alternative to the older Java course, not a replacement. The two languages are very different.
• Prof. Eric Roberts explained that although 15 years ago Java was intended to be “the language of the Internet,” JavaScript has since taken its place as the dominant language of the web.
• Many people hope that this change will make coding more attractive to more students, especially those majoring in business or design.

Eric Roberts, emeritus professor of computer science and pioneer of the CS106 series, shares his point of view on developing with Java vs. Javascript.

“Java had stabilized. It was clear that many universities were going in that direction. It’s 2017 now, and Java is showing its age.” – Eric Roberts

The cartoon-based video on YouTube is an excellent wide view of the differences between Java and JavaScript. After working as a barista in a coffee shop, and learning how to code in JavaScript, I will agree I make more money now, but working with code is much more stressful than coffee beans.

An overall focus to this short film and the current trend at Stanford University show that producers will want to learn JavaScript if they want the code to run through a browsers. Java is more typically used for applications that would run on different devices.

To learn more on this topic, browse over the debate between Java and JavaScript via the Codecademy Facebook post below.