Explain the history of Java and JavaScript. Which came first? How are they related to each other? Would you rather have worked on the development of Java or the development of JavaScript? Why?

What will be an ideal response?

Java was created first by Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sun released its cross-platform programming language to the general public in 1995, and it has grown in popularity at an unprecedented rate ever since.

But Sun was not the only company looking for ways to enhance the capabilities of standard HTML. Netscape Communications Corporation was also busy working on technologies to give Web developers a way to embed user-programmable scripts into static HTML documents. They knew that they needed to incorporate a well-defined syntax into their design. Netscape employees observed how popular the Java language was becoming, so they licensed the Java name from Sun and used the Java syntax in their own scripting language. The result of Netscape's efforts became known as JavaScript, and it has also enjoyed a great deal of success in the Internet software development sector.

Student answers will vary and may include:
-  I would prefer to have worked on developing Java. Java was first, so that may have been more exciting to develop something brand new and oriented toward the browser.
- I would prefer to have worked on developing JavaScript. JavaScript is powerful and takes Java to the next level. So, it is more exciting to work for the company that is using Java as a base for further advancements.