Java developers have historically perceived JavaScript as a toy language, both too lightweight for real programming and too clunky to be of use as a scripting alternative. And yet JavaScript is still around, and it’s the basis of exciting web technologies like GWT and Node.js. This installment of Java development 2.0, entitled “JavaScript for Java developers“, explains why JavaScript is an important tool for the modern Java developer. The article then gets you started with the syntax you need to build first-class applications for today’s web, including JavaScript variables, types, functions, and classes. Java