The demands of network environments and the pursuit of cross-platform tools led to the emergence of Java. Scripting languages emphasizing screen presentation and mouse control became popular in the late 1980s, with the appearance of HyperCard, SuperCard, ToolBook, etc. Java expanded the possibilities for screen management, secure network operations, and animations. The goal of the user was more to create a result than a program. Command languages, which originated with operating-systems commands, are distinguished by their immediacy and by their impact on devices or information.
Users issue a command and watch what happens.
The commands are brief and their existence is transitory. Of course, command histories are sometimes kept and macros are created in some command languages, but the essence of command languages is that they have an ephemeral nature and that they produce an immediate result on some object of interest. Command languages are distinguished from menu-selection systems in that their users must recall notation and initiate action. Command-language users are often called on to accomplish remarkable feats of memorization and typing. This style of work may have been acceptable in the past, but user communities and their expectations are changing.