Board Thread:Support Requests - Getting Technical/@comment-11291792-20150502150454/@comment-452-20150502170753


 * Javascript is used to run scripts in the browser, it can be used to edit the content of the webpages displayed in your browser.
 * CSS is used to alter the appearance of webpages displayed in your browser.
 * MediaWiki pages (AKA MediaWiki messages) are pages stored on the server, used by the server to serve you webpages. When your browser receives a webpage from the server, the server has already retrieved the content of the MediaWiki pages and used them to build the webpage it has sent you.

Imagine a letter you've received. It's the same thing.
 * The person who sent you the letter owns a smiley face stamp, and in his office, has used his smiley face stamp to put a smiley face on your letter
 * You own some crayons, and when you receive the letter, you can draw all over your letter, including drawing a moustache on the smiley face. But your crayons cannot alter the stamp itself, because that was not sent with the letter, it is stored in the office.
 * You can go to the senders office and use a knife carve a moustache into the stamp, so that the next time he sends you a letter, the smiley face will already have a moustache.
 * Even if you use a knife on the stamp, this can not change the smiley face which is already on the letter. (And using crayons on the stamp will not help, in any case.)
 * Sender's office = Server
 * Your office = Browser
 * Letter = Webpage
 * Stamp = MediaWiki message
 * Smiley face = content of webpage
 * Crayons = javascript and CSS
 * Moustache = whatever you edit with javascript and CSS
 * Knife = editing the MediaWiki message itself