>Except it doesn't, server side code is more universal. I strongly disagree.
In server side there is vast amount of different software stacks build top of C library and they are incompatible. Running PHP code top of Java stack just doesn't work. In client side, there has ongoing for several years a huge shift where ~all client code runs top of HTML/JS. And this is very remarkable because client side code doesn't any longer care what is below that HTML/JS environment. The umbilical cord for C language stack or OS is cut off, and practically all major players in IT-industry are committed for that. Imagine that if late ninetees, whole IT industry has decided to cut off all legacy and start to compile only Java byte code to Java API. All applications work every computer without recompiling, and Java runtime removes hardware and OS dependency, isolating all applications to sandboxes that restrict memory, disk space, filesystem access etc. That would have been great, but Sun Microsystem withdraw from standardization process, Microsoft implementation was totally incompatible, and while Java was proprietary it was not accepted by open source communities any more than Sun Microsystem competitors. But now, it is a totally new game. Javascript is standard, there is open source implementations and they are compatible. World is changed that HTML/JS is global standard for application frontends. And then there is local 'standards', "ecosystems", if there is need to make exclusive application for Apple or something. These competing local standards keep development running. >Any idea how many noscript users there are amongst other filters and >browsers like xombrero. Maybe one in thousand. These were more popular back then when computers were slow and browsers immature, something like 7 years ago. Past two years, almost no one used these because applications doesn't work without JS. >Simple HTML5 features and CSS3 are welcome by me but even JIT for >performance annoys me. I'd rather they fixed the bugs and memory leaks >and let me use websites in style and confidence. You can't create applications without JS. Example, think about how mapping software are done with realtime pathfinding. >If you had looked into browser vulnerabilities you would see that the >*vast* majority even ones which do not mention that javascript is the >issue can be avoided by disabling javascript or the issue is javascript >related. Disabling Javascript is like disabling ability to run modern application software. It is same if I just turn off computer. It is then secured. >If I want to run an even more complex app then I would much prefer to >to do just that and run the web based dedicated application separately >which any decent application needs anyway (application or plugin) and >making it pointless bloat. So it is better to download unknown application binary from when you like to see map? And think about effort to make that application to Android API, Cocoa, GTK+ 2, Qt and WinRT. Or, just make application to HTML/JS and that run everywhere in sandbox without hassle. Portability matters.
