JavaScript’s Limitations

JavaScript does have limitations, but these limitations are natural and unavoidable by-products of its main purpose: to add interactivity to your web pages.

JavaScript Can’t Talk to Servers
One of JavaScript’s drawbacks is also its main strength: It works entirely
within the web browser. As we’ve seen, this cuts down on the amount of time
your browser spends communicating with a webserver. On the other hand,
this also means that JavaScript can’t communicate with other machines and
therefore can’t handle some server tasks you may need to do.

JavaScript Can’t Create Graphics
Another of JavaScript’s limitations is that it can’t create its own graphics. Whereas more complicated languages can draw pictures, JavaScript can only manipulate existing pictures (that is, GIF or JPEG files). Luckily, because JavaScript can manipulate created images in so many ways, you shouldn’t find this too limiting.

JavaScript Works Differently in Different Browsers
The most annoying problem with JavaScript is that it works somewhat differently in different browsers. JavaScript was introduced in 1996 by Netscape in version 2 of Netscape Navigator. Since then, JavaScript has changed, and every browser implements a slightly different version of it—often adding browser-specific features. Luckily, starting in the late 1990s, the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) began publishing standards for JavaScript, which they call ECMA Script. About 99 percent of all browsers being used today comply with at least version 3 of the ECMA standard. These include Internet Explorer version 5.5 and later, Netscape version 6 and later, Mozilla, Firefox, all versions of Safari, and Opera version 5 and later. Because almost all browsers currently in use adhere to version 3 of the ECMA standard.