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It's quite possible to create very good pages without JavaScript.
However, there are some tasks that seem basic that require some
scripting.
For example, I have an intranet page that is divided into three frames.
One frame is the main menu, another is a local menu that depends on the
main menu selection, and the third holds the content. When the reader
clicks a main menu item, a new local menu appears, and new content
appears. It turns out that there is no simple way to show new content in
more than one frame on a single click event. I could have displayed a
whole new frame set, but that would have been slow and would have looked
awkward - the whole browser window would have been updated.
So, instead, I asked one of our web guys, who loaned me a copy of
JavaScript_Source_book by Gordon McComb. From not knowing anything about
JavaScript (although I admit I have an advantage - I used to be a
programmer) to having the page programmed took me about two hours. There
were examples in the book that got me most of the way there, but I did
have to modify them a bit beyond simply replacing page names, so I had
to learn the basics of the language.
It's not a particularly difficult language, and there are good books out
there. Whether a technical writer should learn to write it or hand it
off to a specialist depends on the situation. In my situation, I'm
expected to "get my hands dirty" so I learned some of the basics. I may
end up being the specialist in my group - I tend to wallow in silicon
more than the other writers here. In a company where people tend to
specialize more, or in a situation where the programming is more
complex, a specialist might be the way to go.
>----------
>From: Marcel Uljee[SMTP:m -dot- uljee -at- PECOMA -dot- NL]
>Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 1997 2:32 AM
>To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject: JavaScript
>
>Hi everyone,
>
>More and more technical writers participate in the production of
>Webpages. That's why we are wondering if it is useful to learn to write
>JavaScript. Is it possible to create attractive webpages without using
>JavaScript? If not, should technical writers learn to write JavaScript
>or should they consult a specialist, like they consult a specialist who
>takes care of the graphics?
>
>
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