JavaScript (JScript) is just a way of writing instructions for your computer to do something. The script can (usually) only call up instructions built into programs that "read and interpret" it. It's (oversimplified) much like html, but can call for functions that don't fit within the html standards to do things like calling up advertisements that aren't on the same page/server you're looking at, but has limited ability by itself to create (as opposed to identifying and fetching) new objects.

The Java language, that's what these recent warnings are about, is a fairly powerful programming language that can create new things for the computer to do. It is a fairly powerful full-blown programming language, specifically designed to be executable by "almost any" OS.

It should be noted that Java, as a computer language, is about as dangerous to UNIX or Mac systems as to Windows, since it's purpose is to allow the same code to run anywhere.

JScript is similarly intended to be cross-platform compatible everywhere, but it mostly only passes instructions to use things the programs/operating systems have predetermined or builtin capability of doing.

JScript can be, simplistically, thought of as a little like an old fashioned batch file that can give instructions but isn't really overly powerful by itself. You don't have a "BATCH" program identifiable on your computer, but the computer can read the .bat script to know what builtin functions you want to use. If you use the right grammar, a batch file can call for a GWBASIC or IBMBASIC program to run, but the BASIC program and the interpreter have to be there for it to work. To create new things to do, you usually have to be in BASIC to write the program, identify it, and put it on the machine.

Java, the programming language, IS THE BASIC (or almost C, C#, C##, or D#) and can create new things to do very potent stuff.

Microsoft has begun migrating toward what they call "Power Script" as something of a replacement, or alternative, for JScript, but success in convincing people to use it is unclear. They seem to be fairly similar, but I haven't penetrated into either of them enough to be the right one to try to give real comparisons or descriptions.

John