A general question might be of the form:
-- OR --Some Poster wrote:Please help me! I just downloaded Ernie Thomas's JavaBITS, and I can't make the floating boxes blink. Here's the code: *long post of ALL the code from the problem page*.
In both cases the OP is either unable or unwilling to solve the problem themselves. Why is that the case? Simple: The OP's are not (in most cases) well versed in "Web Programming," but rather come from one of two other disciplines.Some Other Poster wrote:I'm working on developing a package to provide military-strength encryption for data input on my website, but I cannot seem to find a good port of RSA to JavaScript. Anybody know one?
This happens because "Web Programming" exists at the confluence of these other disciplines. First you have Website Design, a field dealing with graphics, user interfaces, intuitiveness, presentation, etc. Second, you have Programming, a field dealing with problem solving, analysis, and efficiency. Members of each of these castes have an incredible amount of disdain for one another; each feeling themselves better equipped to be the "Web Programmer".
Unfortunately this results in questions like my two examples. The first was probably posted by a Script Kiddie (that is, a website designer who has learned just enough about javascript to make an alert box appear) who doesn't even know why he's using the "JavaBITS" to do what he is. That solution was recommended to him in another post a couple of months ago. By the time he's done he'll have cobbled together something barely manageable from a collection of Forum posts, online examples, and free "packages" that kind of does what he needs. G-d help him if it ever breaks.
The second is inevitably from a Code Junkie whose favorite language is Binary and doesn't understand why people need C++ to program "objects". To him, "JavaScript" is a pitiful "language" which he doesn't need to learn, only meld to his needs. He'll completely miss the point of scripting (which is an interpreted form of programming... very different from what he's used to). There are no packages. No ports. No types. The language is built around loosely supported definitions by a couple of major internet-browsers and unfortunately, it just cannot do some things. In the end, he'll have code with overhead so big you could build a small country with it.
Thank you, you may now return to your regularly scheduled posting.