why is javascript interpreted rather than compiled

In this module we are explicitly talking about client-side JavaScript. Programs that are compiled into native machine code tend to be faster than interpreted code. JIT or just in time compilers are not specific to JavaScript. Browse other questions tagged, Where developers & technologists share private knowledge with coworkers, Reach developers & technologists worldwide. For instance, it could translate the codes from JavaScript to C++. They are much more open to change. For instance, JavaScript runs the V8 engine on Chrome, which compiles its native code internally. JavaScript may be described as both compiled & interpreted language but actual implementation differs for each of the engines. expensive. The first is if someone had already translated it into English for you. And actually in certain web services which do a lot of computations, the hard crunching is probably run as a compiled program. If the use of a more dynamic language shaves a developer-week off the schedule, that week of programmer time that you don't have to pay for will buy you an additional server. If the language (rather than the modern implementations of it) was designed with a preference, it's clearly a preference towards interpretation. The same holds for TraceMonkey and Rhino. Why is there such a clear cut between interpreted and compiled languages? Every major web browser uses the language. This demo has exactly the same functionality as in the previous two sections, except that the