🧠Knowledge Series #38 - What does JavaScript actually do?

A non-engineer’s guide to JavaScript with practical examples of how it powers the web

🔒The Knowledge Series helps you plug the gaps in your tech knowledge so that you feel more confident when chatting to colleagues. Clearly explained in plain English. One topic at a time. So far, the collection includes APIs, front end development, mobile apps, headless architecture and payments explained - with more topics added every week. 

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Hi product people 👋,

“I think that if we’re living in a simulation, it’s written in JavaScript.” This was the view of the world renowned engineer John Carmack on a recent podcast.

It was a tongue in cheek comment but it reflects the fact that JavaScript is everywhere in 2024. And if that’s the case, then knowing a bit about what JavaScript is and how it powers the web is essential.

In this Knowledge Series we’re going to look at what JavaScript is and how it powers the web from a non-engineer’s perspective. With some real world examples from leading tech companies, we’ll explore how JavaScript is used today along with some practical snippets of JavaScript you can use yourself so that the next time someone in your company talks about it, you’re fully up to speed with the essentials.

Coming up:

• What is JavaScript?

• What is its role in the context of the web?

• Real world examples of JavaScript by leading product teams at Notion, Atlassian, Miro and more

• How is JavaScript different from other programming languages and what about Node.js?

• Get hands on with some simple JavaScript code snippets to deepen your understanding

PS you can read the previous Knowledge Series on front end development here too.

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The Knowledge Series

What is JavaScript?