You can install a JavaScript interpreter that you can use to automate activity on your desktop. On a Macintosh, this kind of activity has been possible for some time with HyperCard, AppleScript and the Macintosh Programmer's Workshop shell environment. Now you can install products such as Nombas ScriptEase.

On Windows, you could have used DOS batch files and if you had installed the NeXTStep developer tools in the past, a Bourne shell was possible. Other alternatives have also been available. Now, you can use JScript within the Windows Script Host environment. You can also use ScriptEase on Windows.

On UNIX, a variety of possibilities are available. ScriptEase again is useful but there are other freely available JavaScript interpreters that you can download and build yourself. It just depends how much work you want to do before you can start scripting.

Cross-references:

Wrox Instant JavaScript - page - 5